Silver and Wolfsbane
by LoveFangs91
Summary: A broken pact to stay off men, a missing shapeshifter and a vampire that is as stubborn as he his handsome. Just how does Sookie manage to survive the drama going on in her life? AU. M for lemons.
1. A pact

**Hello!**

**How are you? How have you been doing in the month since I last posted? This is me hoping that i've managed to convince some readers to return :) Well I think we're in for a long run again. **

**First of all, let me catch you up on all that's happened to me in the past month (feel free to skim over this to the story, I won't mind); i bought a remote control model of my favourite car, Audi r8, so that I can have some interesting study breaks, i've went to 2 gigs in six days to see the same band up and down the country, i'm going on holiday to Prague in summer, i'm doing practical animal handling classes at Uni to prepare for lambing which is in three weeks, i got a late secret santa gift that was a box of double stuf oreos and a personalised pillow with ASkars on it and a caption, and finally my friends from back up North pooled together and got me a signed ASkars photo because they miss me. Ah feel the love on that one! **

**I've also started going to the gym, nearly everyday now for two months, goign running/jogging, exercise bikes and the rowing machines. It's oddly fun and i was amazingly out of shape after not going running with the dog(s) for a few months. **

**Now, onto the really important stuff, i want to say a massive thank-you to my betas campyrs and Trajedy99. Not only did they do a fantastic job and stick by my through GotD, they're still here for this new adventure! So, thanks!**

**I promise that's it, apart from to say the wonderful Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries, and on with the chapter!**

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"ID," the ancient vampire in front of us growled. It wouldn't take much smarts to be able to tell that he wasn't happy to be on door duty tonight although his appearance did lend itself to being a bouncer. He was all tall, brooding and muscular, the only bit that didn't really fit with the stereotype was the long blond hair that was falling free around his handsome face.

"Here you go," I handed over my driver's licence without question, knowing that it was just something that was done at all vampire clubs. Apparently after a few centuries vampires found it difficult to judge human ages; at least it was something they weren't superbly good at. Amelia however, seemed to have other ideas.

"Why do you need to see my ID? I haven't been carded in years!" Considering she was only twenty five I think that was exaggerating the truth, especially because she could look exceedingly fresh faced when she wasn't wearing her make-up. It didn't really help that she wasn't on the sober side of tipsy either.

"ID." The vampire reiterated as he handed back my card with a nod of his head, the only signal that it was fine for me to enter the club. Amelia finally, grudgingly, handed over her licence for inspection. The vampire nodded at her too and we went into Fangtasia without so much as a look back even when we could hear the vampire growling into the phone for a subordinate to come and take over the door job from him.

"Thank-you for doing this Sookie," Amelia told me sincerely, an almost radiant smile on her face. I would do anything to return her to her normal happy, shiny personality. At least one of us needed to be like that and I wasn't going to be applying for the job any time soon. "It really means a lot to me." She said as she threw her arms around my neck to squeeze me tightly, so much so that I was beginning to worry about getting oxygen in again for my next breath when she finally let go. It was a very good job I had my mental shields clamped down as tight as they would possibly go.

"Its fine, it's already fun and you know I love having you here. Now, first drinks are on me."She laughed at me and we wound our way through the crowd toward the bar, trying to ignore the stares we got.

We weren't exactly dressed for an outing to a vampire bar as it had been a rather on a whim decision. Amelia was wearing a short denim skirt, with tights since it was still so cold out, with some gorgeous calf length boots that I had to keep telling myself I wouldn't steal. She'd actually bought a gothic top, just a plain black tank with netted sleeves and a couple of buckles. I, however didn't even fit in that much; black ballet pumps and tights, and a pale blue dress which fell to my knees and was held up by spaghetti straps. I knew I looked good though and that was all that really mattered.

"A diet Pepsi with wild cherry and a double Jack and coke."

"Yes mi lady, is there anything else I can get you?" The vampire bar tender asked us, giving me a grin wide enough to show off his fangs. His accent was purely British, no traces of an American lilt, so he hadn't been here long and to top it off he looked like he'd be at home being a butler for an upper class Victorian family. He worked quickly, placing our drinks in front of us a second before I had the cash ready in my hand.

"Thanks, no change." I smiled at him. I was always conscientious to tip bar staff and waitresses well since I knew just how much they had to put up with. No matter what anyone tells you it isn't an easy job.

We avoided the dance floor as we searched the room for a spare booth. Eventually we found a high table, surrounded by three bar stools, near the centre of the room that nobody had claimed. We placed our clutch bags in the centre, where one of us would always be able to see them and perched on a chair.

"To single life," Amelia toasted, raising her glass into the air.

"To no men," I added; clinking my glass with hers and referencing the pact we'd made earlier in the car ride over here.

Amelia had just broken up with her boyfriend of four months out of the blue and she'd taken it somewhat badly. I couldn't really blame her, he'd been a cheating jerk, and before him there'd been a string of guys that she shouldn't even have glanced twice at, never mind dated. My love life wasn't much better when it actually existed so we'd sworn off men. It meant a simpler life with more time for hanging out with friends which was why my best friend had up sticks and moved clear across the state two days ago. She was going back home in a few weeks, but it wasn't like I didn't have the space in my big old house for her to live there.

Surveying the room I found Fangtasia to be a complete mix of things I hadn't expected and just about everything I had has well. The walls, varying shades of grey with crimson beams at the top, were decorated with a plethora of cheesy vampire memorabilia, bottles behind the bar displayed alcohol I hadn't even heard of and all the staff, human and vampire alike, were dressed to the nines in gothic finery. The dance floor was heaving with bodies gyrating to the loud, heavy rock music being pumped over the stereo. The music selection was actually better that I'd anticipated. The crowd itself was a mix of fangbangers and tourists, the latter of which were taking up most of the booths, sitting in groups with shirts on that had 'The bar with bite' emblazoned across the front.

I was just about to ask Amelia if she wanted to dance when I felt someone watching me. Almost immediately my eyes were drawn to a corner of the room where the vampire from the door was now sitting, a slight smirk plastered across his face as he unabashedly continued to stare at me. He was gorgeous, as in the drop dead gorgeous extreme of the description. I don't know what I'd been thinking earlier, probably too preoccupied for him to register as being handsome. From across the room I could tell his eyes were brilliantly blue, going with the Scandinavian feel to his presence. His features were strong, defined but perfectly matched. I sent him a small smile and turned back to my friend before she could notice my ogling and take it to mean I was breaking the pact already.

"Come on Sookie! Let's dance!" She downed the rest of her drink in a couple of big gulps and headed over to the dance floor without waiting for a response.

"You haven't been here before have you?" When I glanced up I found a man, about my age but it was difficult to judge since he was wearing more make up than me, talking to me.

"Oh, no, I haven't." I smiled politely and gathered up both of the bags.

"You don't fit in, I find that remarkably beautiful." I wasn't entirely sure whether his statement was a true compliment or a bit of an insult so I chose to ignore him completely and scurry across to join Amelia.

"Sookie!" She squealed in delight as I joined her, even going as far as to plant a quick peck on my cheek. The last drink had definitely gone straight to her head, well, she had downed it ridiculously fast. I decided right then that it didn't matter that I didn't have a single drink in me, I was the designated driver, I would join her. So, I threw my arms in the air and moved my hips to the beat, letting the music flow through me.

It was only another couple of minutes later that Amelia snagged a passing waitress, pushed five dollars in her hands and asked for a bottle of Wychcraft beer. I knew there was no point stopping her, she wanted to get drunk and I'd already signed on for this too. The wychcraft, when it arrived, disappeared almost as quickly as the double Jack Daniel's and coke.

A song I actually knew, my brother liked to play it as part of a playlist when he was working around the house, came on over the music system. The almost scream that erupted out Amelia's lips told me that she liked it too.

Our arms linked as Chad Kroeger sang the first lines and we simultaneously stepped towards each other so our bodies were touching. As I spun around I couldn't help my eyes meeting the vampire's again. He was still staring in our direction. I grinned at him when my secret favourite part came on, "E is for the ecstasy, X is just to mark the spot 'cos that's the one you really want."I may have even mouthed the words at him. Fortunately there wasn't even a hint of a blush across my cheeks.

Amelia slunk down low and I followed, keeping my back pressed to hers as we continued to dance to the rather explicit song. All too soon it came to an end and I wiped a light sheen of sweat off my brow. "You okay?"

"Yep, time for another drink! We okay to sit the next one out?"

"Of course, I'll see you back at the table." I gave her a one armed hug and headed back to our table which was miraculously still vacant. Unfortunately, however the slightly creepy guy from earlier hadn't gone far and if the wave of lust that I got off him, even through my clamped shields, was any indication, he'd rather enjoyed my dancing.

"Hey beautiful, that was quite the sight." I smiled at him, it was more of a grimace, and sat down. I scanned the crowd around the bar to see if I could see Amelia but there were so many people it was impossible; I just had to hope she would be back quickly. It was while I was returning my gaze to the guy beside me, so I could keep my eye on what he was doing that I caught sight of the vampire standing, talking to a tall female waitress in the usual gothic garb. His eyes instantly turned to burn into mine and I somehow managed to control my reaction.

"Sookie!" My head instantly shot around to find the source of the call. It had been mental, slipping through my shields the way only my name can. It had sounded like Amelia, she was the only one that knew me here anyway, but I had no way of knowing where it had come from or if I had really heard it.

"Can I buy you a drink? Your friend seems to have left you alone. Pretty women shouldn't be alone."

"Ah no thanks, I'm driving." I pulled my phone out of my bag, ready to give her a call when I noticed that her phone was still in my bag from earlier when we'd mixed our bags up. "Shit," I thought, that really didn't help matters.

"Oh come on, one drink won't hurt anything."

"The lady said no, move along." When I looked up I found the deep growling voice to belong to the vampire that I'd been ogling all night, so far at least. He was glaring at my unwanted admirer in a way that meant you wouldn't cross him unless you had a death wish, and perhaps not even then. The guy that had been speaking to me hadn't even bothered to introduce himself and was staring with wide eyes in utmost adoration of the vampire. I hoped I hadn't been looking at him like that or I was in deep trouble.  
"Leave before I decide to throw you out." His tone was authoritative and it had an instant reaction, although not the one he'd wanted. The guy, I got the name Adam from his mind when I quickly scanned, turned to face the vampire and if it hadn't been a little too crowded to do so I had no doubts he would have dropped to his knees.  
"Oh please, let me stay. I offer my neck in payment."  
"Leave." This time it was just a growl and he accentuated the word with a shove to Adam's shoulder that sent him spinning around to face the opposite direction. At least the guy had sense to leave at that point. "Sookie Stackhouse," he said in way of a greeting which actually shook me a little, I couldn't remember telling him my name at all. Of course, he'd gotten it from my driving license and vampire's had a tendency to have impeccable memories, it was a rather universal trait amongst them.

"Hi, thanks for that." I replied, waving my hand in the general direction that Adam had sulked off in.

"No problem. I am Eric Northman." He didn't extend his hand out to shake, not that I was surprised, as vampires didn't really like contact unless it was to feed one of their lusts. "How do you like my bar?" I'd heard of this vampire; several people from Bon Temps had been here before and I'd overheard them talking about a vampire called Eric. His reputation preceded him.

"It's pretty cool, the music is good." I flashed him a grin as I thought about the moment we'd shared while I was on the dance floor. I was walking a very thin line between fun and trouble; I had to be careful, especially with Amelia due back at any moment.

"Why are you here tonight then? Your attire, although much appreciated, is not the norm for the clientele in here." His gaze traversed my body lazily, coming back to rest so that he was looking into my eyes. He was taller than me by at least four inches while I sat on the bar stool which already made me taller than I actually was. If the human race is getting generally taller with each passing generation he must have been a giant for his time.

"I'm here with my friend, she wanted to come."

"Ah, your dancing partner. Give her my thanks." He gave me a slight smile, enough to show that his fangs were fully retracted. He waved his hand slightly as a waitress passed which got her to immediately turn around and stand beside him patiently. "What would you like to drink?"

"I'll just take a diet Pepsi please." Stuff Amelia, there was no reason I was stopping this while it was fun and it was only a soda he was buying me. I scanned the crowd again for her but found no trace. At least I hadn't heard the shout of my name again; I must have been imagining things. The waitress scurried off to fetch my order, having completely forgotten what she was doing before.

"Is this the first time you have been around vampires?" He finally took a seat on one of the stools, sitting up straight so he appeared even taller to me. Up close I could see the light stubble decorating his jaw line, darker than his hair but still blond, and that his eyes held intelligence in them.

"No, not at all." Vampires were the only people in the population that I couldn't "hear" at all so just being in their presence was rather pleasurable for me. I'd taken a rare, adventurous trip to New Orleans just after they'd come out of the coffin a couple of years back to investigate what their minds were like to me. I'd discovered their blankness and I'd also stumbled upon Amelia in one of the lounges I'd been to. I considered it a very successful trip. It was strange to think but a couple of my friends were vampires although none of them knew about my ability. His eyes brows rose slightly, inviting me to explain further. "Amelia, my friend, is from New Orleans and I've been to visit her several times." He nodded his head in understanding and he had just opened his mouth to ask another question when my head shot around in the direction of the restrooms.

"Sookie! Help!" There was no mistaking it this time, I wasn't imagining things and Amelia did need my help with something.

"Sorry, I gotta go." I grabbed my purse from the table top and popped onto the floor with a slight jump before I raced across the room to find out what was going on. The only reason he didn't manage to stop me was because I'd taken him completely by surprise. No one with a functioning body and in their right mind would voluntarily walk away from him while he was interested and there was minimal danger.

I rushed across the room, having to shout every time I wanted to say "excuse me" as it felt like the music had been turned up even further. The restrooms were tucked into a corner of the room, furthest from the main entrance and at least partially hidden from view by the bar that jutted out from the wall.

I didn't see Amelia in the restroom when I first stormed in, in fact I didn't see anyone, but I could feel her in the room and she wasn't doing too well. That thought was immediately followed by the horrible sound of retching coming from one of the stalls.

"Amelia, it's me," I said loudly, making sure she could hear me, then I pushed open the stall door tentatively, unsure exactly what I would find. She was heaped on the floor, her legs curled up and slightly to the side, so that she could hug the toilet. It probably wasn't the nicest thing to think but as soon as she got back home she was getting in the shower, whether she wanted to or not. At least she'd had sense to wad up some toilet tissue so that her chin wasn't resting directly on the rim. "Okay sweetie, what's wrong?"I asked quietly as I sank down to my knees beside her and began to stroke back her hair from her clammy face.

"I got to the bar and the bartender said I could have a drink on the house so I took a shot. It did not agree with me. Flipping Jagermeister. She growled slightly, a deep frown evident on her face.

"You going to be sick again?"

"I don't know yet," she replied, this time there was no defiance in her tone, just dejection.

"Okay, sit up a minute." She shuffled back slightly, splaying her legs out in front of her for stability and rested her had on my shoulder. I managed to reach the handle and flush the toilet before setting her back in her original position. "I'll get you a glass of water and as soon as you feel well enough to walk, we'll get you back to the car and then to my house. Sound good?" I kept my tone soft as I spoke to her. I knew that alcohol would still be affecting her although she would have thrown most of it up before it got into her system. It would also make a hangover from dehydration much more likely so it was best she got water in her quickly.

Luckily I didn't have to go back out to the bar to get some water as the restroom was a lot fancier than any other I'd ever seen in a club, probably an effort to impress tourists. So, by the door was a small alcove that held a vending machine for the normal products and a sink, which had a sign above it declaring drinking water, and several tiers of plastic cups. There was also a comfortable looking chair for if people needed to take a break; judging by some of the shoes I'd seen the girls wearing out there on the dance floor it was a common occurrence.

"Here you go Ames," I said as I stooped down to her again, handing over the cup of cool water. She took a tiny sip at first, scared that it would induce another vomiting episode. After a few seconds she started drinking more forcefully until nearly half of it was gone. She then relaxed slightly, letting her head loll back onto the wooden side of the stall with her eyes shut lightly. It was then that our night really went all the way to hell.

"Fucking vampires," I heard someone say and I didn't need to see the complete lack of reaction from Amelia to tell me that only I'd heard it. There was a menace in the voice that meant it could only have been said in someone's head, especially since we were in a vampire bar where the staff had superhuman senses which included hearing. I kept my eyes peeled toward Amelia, so that I could stop her if she looked like she was going to say anything. I wasn't entirely sure why but I had no desire for this woman to discover she wasn't alone in the bathroom, I had the impression I could gather something useful from her, I just didn't know what.

"If I call them now they'll be here in less than five minutes, probably more like three." I got a full colour visual of the route whoever she was going to call would take, including her calculations of traffic and if they got stopped at lights. She was clearly a broadcaster as she'd originally slipped through my shields, although I had to admit I was trying to listen now. Whoever she was, she had an authoritative and confident feel even in her own head where people tended to let their insecurities lie in secret, so she had some form of power.

"I still need definitive proof! And I can't get in the men's room." A wave of frustration waved over me, nearly knocking me back into the wall so that I had to place my hand on Amelia's arm to keep myself steady. Her eyes snapped open and I could see the question forming in her eyes. She must have seen something in my face to keep her silent. Just then I heard a groan coming from somewhere, it sounded different as though it was from the men's restroom. "That's it, I'm calling in my boys." Her thought went almost simultaneously with the sounds of beeping as keys were pressed on a cell phone. "Coldridge, I need your squad here asap and the special vamp unit as well. More back-up needed, just get first response here. Get an ambulance on standby too. I'll be in the parking lot." Only a couple of seconds later the door to the restroom opened and footsteps faded away.

"Shit, Amelia, we need to get out of here." I jumped to my feet, ignoring the stinging in my legs as they objected to having been cooped up abnormally for so long. I tugged on Amelia, my arms half wrapped around her torso to pull her to her shaky feet.

"What's going on?" She asked as I began dragging her from the stall, toward the door. At least she wasn't objecting to following me while she questioned it.

"That was an undercover cop, hates vamps, she thinks there's someone getting down and dirty with the fanged kind in the men's room. There's going to be a raid." Her mouth formed a perfect circle, yet she refrained from saying anything else, instead she put all her effort into coordinating her feet to move as quickly as possible.

As soon as we stepped through the door into the main bar we were consumed by the noise; the thumping music and people shouting to friends to be heard. Nothing had changed, no one knew what was about to happen and I couldn't tell anyone, if I did there would be mass panic and everyone would bolt through the doors even though most of them wouldn't have done anything wrong. It may have been entirely selfish but I wanted to get us out of there, I had enough stress without having to experience a police raid. As we walked across the room, sidling past people and just plain old barging when people refused to move I found Eric standing near the bar, a bottle of synthetic blood in one hand. He saw me and almost instantly his gaze locked with mine. It was with pleading that I looked back at him, trying to convey my urgency.

"Yes?" He was beside me in seconds, the crowd between us parting by his mere presence; that was a very handy ability in this situation.

"There's going to be a raid, there's a vampire drinking from a guy in the restroom." I whispered the words, pausing in our exit, to stand up on my tip toes to try, in vain, to reach his ear. I knew he'd be able to hear me without doing any of that stuff, and that the people around us were unlikely to overhear given the pulsing music, but it made me feel better.

"This way." He glanced over at the grip I had on Amelia, who seemed to be doing better now that she was moving, and decided against helping us. He just strode in front, clearing the way for us to follow in his wake. We did get strange glances; we weren't exactly a trio you'd expect to find in Fangtasia, luckily though no one tried to make even an attempt to follow. I saw him signal to two vampires as we walked past them, one was the bar tender and the other was the beautiful blonde he'd been speaking to earlier. No one else was lucky enough to be told anything.

We were quickly at the corner of the room where Eric's booth was located and behind it there was an unlit door, clearly not designed for a general exit. Eric pushed the door open, letting in a gust of cool air that would surely let anyone in the vicinity know that we were leaving. The other two vampires weren't following; instead they'd gone into the staff quarters; so as not to raise too much alarm.

"Where is your car?" Eric asked as soon as the door had been firmly shut beside us.

"The main parking lot, we went shopping first." There was no sign of any police yet, not even sirens in the distance.

"Good, go straight to your car and get out of here, back to Bon Temps. You were not at Fangtasia tonight. Some police in the area do not like vampires, they will penalise associates for anything."

"We will, I need to get Amelia home."

"It was interesting meeting you Sookie Stackhouse. I recall I do not know how you found out about the raid, a conversation for the future. I will see you soon." With that he ran down the street, faster than I could believe, so that he was only a pale blur against the dark night sky.

"Come on Ames, we need to get out of here." We wobbled speedily over to the main parking lot of the shopping mall and found my car. Sirens could now be heard blaring in the distance; it didn't seem like they were going for a stealthy approach. It was strange; I hadn't seen or heard the undercover police officer and she had said she was going to be waiting outside. I hadn't mentioned anything to Eric about her, it would have been life threatening for her and he'd been too preoccupied with getting out of the way to ask.

Soon we were seat-belted into my little car and pulling out of an exit at the other end of the complex to Fangtasia; the sirens were close, yet coming from the opposite direction. Luckily we didn't get stopped on the way back to Bon Temps, we didn't even see any police and when we finally reached the outskirts of my hometown we took a breath of relief. I knew we hadn't been in any immediate danger but the situation could easily have gotten out of hand.

The journey had been a silent one; I'd been concentrating on the road and Amelia had been concentrating on not throwing up again, with her eyes closed and deep, even breaths the entire way. It wasn't until I was putting her in bed that she said anything.

"You know, he has a very nice ass." I really didn't need the visual from her mind to tell me who she was referring to; however it was a very nice visual.

"Oh yes," I replied to an already sleeping witch. "Very nice indeed."

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**So what did you think? I think you may enjoy the second chapter a little more if what you enjoyed in GotD is any indication. As you've probably gathered this Sookie is quite a bit different, in a good way, so you in for the ride? **

**You know I love feedback almost as much as a certain Viking vampire. Thanks for reading and see you next week. Oh yeah, Fridays will be my regular update day again but i have exams/lambing/equine placement coming up so i might not always have access to the internet some weeks but i'll try and let everyone know before hand. **

**Have a brilliant weekend.  
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	2. Buttlicious

**Hello!**

**How are you? I have to say i've had a hectic week, i got really sick over the weekend, so bad that my parents came down to pick me up so i could go see my usual doctor that knows my history. I'm back at Uni now and i'm completely fine :) then i had to catch up on the couple of days i missed along with preparing for the exams which are next friday. Oh well, i'm treating myself to a night out tonight at a wonderful cocktail bar, if you read GotD i'm sure you've heard of my love of cocktails that i recently discovered. I'm already perusing the online menu to decide what i want.I also spent a painfully cold day on a farm yesterday playing with calves which was learning how to handle cows! Well, it was supposed to be if we could have stopped making a fuss of them.  
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**Speaking of GotD it was lovely to see so many familiar people coming back for another of my adventures :) **

**Now next week, because of the exams I won't be around so i'll be posting on thursday. **

**I want to say a massive thank-you to my betas campyrs and Trajedy99, they're amazing and they've both helped me with my writing so a big round of applause for them. **

**Also, i have a one shot that i've entered into a contest. It's still in blind judging at the moment but it will open up to the public vote in a couple of days, Monday the 7th to be precise, so it would be wonderful if you guys could head over there and show a little support. I don't know the link but i'll post it on my profile when i get it. The title of the contest is Valentine's Fae Tales.  
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**Now, on with the chapter! I hope you like it, Sookie is quite different in parts of this. Oh, and the wonderful Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries. **

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I really shouldn't have been surprised when I ended up at Fangtasia; I hadn't been kidding even myself successfully when I left home that I was just going for a drive, quite late at night on a Friday. Let's set the reason for me going to Fangtasia, alone, to see if I could get the attention of Eric. Amelia had gone back to New Orleans precisely two weeks ago tonight, having stayed with me for over two months, so I was feeling lonely, rattling around in my big old house by myself. To make matters worse on the loneliness front, Amelia had told me with absolute delight that she'd been seeing a guy since the day after she got back; they'd already been on five dates and she now officially had a boyfriend. She did, however, feel bad about breaking our pact which I had faithfully stuck to. I had no doubts that it wouldn't have lasted much more than a couple of months after she got back home but a day? To be fair even if I had wanted to break the pact there wasn't exactly a queue of guys waiting to take crazy Sookie out. I suppose I could have gone out with someone, JB for example, if I was just interested in sex. That, right there, was the issue because I'd pushed aside all my morals and good sense to do pretty much exactly that.

"Sookie Stackhouse," the vampire on the door greeted me before I even had a chance to begin pulling out my driver's license. I recognised her instantly as the striking blonde that I'd seen here last time; she'd been one of the lucky two to actually get warned about the impending raid. The raid itself had been a bit of a letdown for the police; it was only the couple in the restroom that had been doing anything wrong and everything between them had been consensual. All they had was feeding in a public place on a human charge for the vampire which was just a hefty fine at the most. "Eric will be pleased. Tell me how you knew." She was smart and it wasn't phrased as a question.

"I overheard the undercover cop in the restroom that's all." It was the truth, just not quite all of it since I'd overheard her with my mind and not my ears. Things would get bad very quickly if vampires found out about my ability.

"Hm, well that's boring. In you go." I stepped inside the club, having the distinct impression I'd only been dismissed so swiftly because my answer had been so mundane. The only real difference I could see in the club that was immediate to me was that I didn't stick out quite so much as last time; I was wearing black shorts, black vest top and a loose fitting button down shirt partially open at the top. I wasn't exactly looking my best but something had deterred me from really dressing up. Probably a last ditch effort by the still rational part of my brain to stop me from going to Fangtasia.

"Double archers and lemonade, please." I told the bar tender after I'd fought through the milling crowd to get a drink, only to discover it was the same vampire as last time too. I handed over my cash and took a large gulp of the sweet liquid. It probably wasn't the wisest decision in the world to get an alcoholic drink, especially a double, since I still had the possibility of having to drive again tonight. I believe I have already told you that I wasn't quite functioning at my best on the decision making front. Besides, I was really hoping to not have to drive again.

I made my way over to the dance floor. In vampire terms the night was still young, I had plenty of time and I didn't want to seem too eager. The music soon took a hold on me; it started with my hips and feet until, only a song later, I was in the middle of the floor, surrounded by other people, dancing to my heart's content. When I felt my heart pounding in my chest, never mind the flushed heat on my cheeks, I allowed myself to move to the out skirts of the dance floor where there was more cool air and I could easily scan the room for a certain vampire. It didn't take long to find him.

He sitting in the same booth that he'd occupied previously, watching me quite intently from his comfortable seat. He had his long legs stretched out in front of him under the table and he was slouched back slightly into the cushions. Yet he still managed to look quite imposing. Tonight his hair was pulled back from his face, tied loosely at the base of his neck; he looked utterly masculine with something most men wouldn't have been able to pull off at all. From what I could see, my eyes did quite a lot of roving, he was wearing head-to-foot black again except instead of a vest he was wearing a baseball fit t-shirt with sleeves that ended midway down his fore arms. I threw him a smile and slowly began to wind my way over to him.

"Hello Sookie," Eric greeted me as soon as I was close enough to him for me to be able to hear over the music. My heart had returned to a somewhat normal pace now and I had a good chance that my flushed cheeks had calmed.

"Hi," I replied back, thankful that the nerves I'd felt when I first walked into the bar weren't anywhere to be found. He stretched an arm out, inviting me to take a seat opposite him at the booth.

"What brings you back to Fangtasia? On your own this time too." His eyes were sparkling this close up, full of life which for someone that's been dead for centuries is an amazing trait to have. There was some slight stubble over his chin, but that wouldn't ever change, he could shave it off but it would always grow back again to the exact same length by the next night. I hoped he liked it because he would be sporting it for the rest of his undead life; personally I liked it, something to run your fingers over. It gave him a rugged quality and a slightly more human side to him too, although I wasn't sure why because the beginnings of a beard wouldn't mean he'd be any less ruthless.

"Amelia is back in New Orleans and I was feeling a little lonely in my house, so I came over here, I wanted to dance." He flashed me a slight grin and then signalled for a waitress, not even waiting for one to pass by.

"So you came to a vampire bar?" The edges of his lips were twisting as though he was finding me highly amusing. I simply nodded my head in answer. "What would you like to drink?" The waitress he'd summoned was standing expectantly beside the table, completely ignoring me in favour of staring at Eric. I couldn't really blame her.

"I'll take a hard lemonade please." He stared pointedly at the waitress who smiled in return and sprung around to rush off toward the bar.

"So, how have you been? Up to anything interesting since I saw you last?" There was nothing strange about his words and nothing particularly insinuating at all, yet he managed to give me a slightly leering look that made me think naughty thoughts.

"Not at all, I'm a waitress, it's a boring life." Saying I was just a waitress was a little of an understatement, I'd become sort of what you'd call head waitress over the past couple of months. Arlene, who was the only person that had been working there longer than me, had left last month on maternity leave that she'd extended to packing in her job. I'd been in charge of hiring a new waitress and covering Arlene's shifts until the new waitress was employed. Sam Merlotte, my boss, had recently decided that I was more than capable of helping him in a managerial capacity which meant he could actually take a day off every now and then. "What about you?"

"Oh, I always have fun." He grinned at me, wide enough to show off his fangs which gave a very mixed image; it was simultaneously a little scary and a little hot. "Is there anything in particular you are wanting tonight?" I didn't have the guts to give a real response but I'm sure he saw straight through me because a small smirk crossed his lips.

"I just thought I'd check out the bar again. There really isn't much to do in Bon Temps."

"You have a bar," he replied easily. I hadn't known that he'd known any specifics about Bon Temps, not many people did as it wasn't exactly a popular place for people to visit.

"Yes, but I work there. It takes the fun out of hanging out there. Defeats the purpose of getting a wage if I just give all my money back."

"So you waitress at Merlotte's. Working for a shifter." I stared straight into his eyes when he mentioned Sam, indirectly, but he still knew more about him than most people did.

"How do you know?"

"I am Sheriff of Area Five, it is my job to know all the shifters in the area, especially if they own a business. Have you never thought about swapping over to work for vampires? The pay is better."

"Not really my thing," I replied as the waitress, who appeared very nervous about the amount of time she'd taken to get my drink, placed it in front of me. I waited until she was out of earshot, which was really only a few feet away considering the volume of the music. "I don't like the outfits, they wouldn't suit me."

"Well I think they would be very flattering." His eyes roamed up my torso and down my arms to where my fingers were playing with the glass bottle.

"Do you really dress like this all the time? Most vampires I know just dress like everyone else. Like average humans."

"Shall I let you in on a secret?"His eyes sparkled even more if that was possible and I knew he was planning some form of mischief.

"Sure." He motioned for me to lean forward, just a slight beckoning motion with his hand, so I moved so that my folded arms rested on the table top and I was leaning at least half way across it too. Slowly he moved forward until his mouth was level with my ear. If he'd been breathing I would have been able to feel it tickling my skin there.

"I prefer to be naked." I couldn't help the swallow that I reflexively did at his words and the heat that spread across my cheeks which he would surely be able to feel. When he relaxed back into his seat I gave him a broad grin that he returned with a smirk, while his eyes showed nefarious thoughts running through his mind that I blissfully couldn't hear. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, there was a tension between us but still, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, and we were both somewhat deep in thought as we stared around the room. "Come with me; I have something to show you." He stood up from the booth and started striding across the room, his confidence so high that he didn't even bother to check whether I was following him. Of course I did follow.

The crowd moved aside from him as he walked and their gazes followed his every move. I barely managed to move in his wake, slipping through the gaps before the people returned to exactly what they had been doing before. We ended up by a door that led to the staff quarters which he swiftly opened for me and slunk inside, telling me to make sure it shut firmly behind me. He didn't stop walking until we reached his office which was at the end of the quite short hallway. I never got a chance to actually see what the office looked like because as soon as I'd crossed the threshold inside the room he had me pinned up against the wall, my hands above my head and lips on mine. I kissed him back ferociously, leaning into him slightly as I couldn't touch him. I struggled against his two handed grasp, which was of course futile, but made him tilt his body into mine so I could feel his muscled torso pressed into mine.

"Do you want this?" He whispered against my lips, pulling back just enough that I couldn't recapture his lips but I could almost feel them against mine. His eyes stared into mine from mere inches away, such a darker blue, clouded with lust that it made me growl in frustration that he was still so far away.

"Yes." I replied huskily, staring right back at him. We remained like that for several moments; the only sounds my panting breath and pounding heart. My chest was already heaving in anticipation. Suddenly he dropped his grip on my hands, letting my arms fall with the unexpected need to support them. I wasted no time in threading my fingers through his hair, yanking the tie out quite unceremoniously, so that it fell free around his face. Then I yanked him towards me, stood up on my tip toes and pressed my lips to his, revelling in the feel of his fangs.

His tongue worked its way into my mouth where we fought for dominance, each wanting to be the one to do the exploring. My arms wrapped around his neck, letting go of his hair, so that I could pull myself flush up against him, feeling his excitement pressed firmly into my lower stomach. His hands began to wander across my body, starting at my shoulder blades and working down, his fingers splayed, until her reached the hem of my shirt. I was engrossed; teasing my tongue over the tips of his fangs to register the sound of material ripping, nor did I even realise it was my shirt until I felt cool air against my exposed skin. I drew back to figure out what was going on, but all I found was an irresistible smirk on his face that was inviting me to kiss him again.

"Come with me." He moved away completely, leaving me missing his touch, to yank open a door on the adjoining wall to the one I was still somewhat pressed up against. I followed straight away so that I was only a couple of steps behind him as we travelled down the staircase hidden within what I had first assumed was a closet.

"What is this?" I asked as we took a bend in the stairs so that we were going directly underneath the bar, his office somewhere above our heads.

"My secret quarters; I have rooms here so it's safer if I ever have to spend the day." We reached another door, this one secured by a pass code lock. It opened up to reveal a quite expansive bedroom; king size four poster bed in the centre of the far wall, couch, arm chair, bookcase and a larger, shaggy rug to give the black furniture a little colour of deep crimson.

He spun around to face me and closed the distance between us in a single stride, sweeping me up into his arms so that my legs wrapped around his waist. His hands caressed my bottom, kneading the flesh there slightly. I brought my lips down to the edge of his jaw, kissing a line down toward his neck where I started to nibble his skin, bringing it into my mouth slightly with my teeth. A deep, shuddering growl was my wonderful reward.

He walked us toward the bed, his movement smooth and effortless as though he wasn't carrying me. It was when we reached the bed, his knees knocking into the plump mattress slightly that he stopped. The next thing I knew I was falling through the air, a squeal of panic and surprise emanating from my mouth. The impact wasn't hard, his arms braced to take the forceful impact that never arose due to the softness of the duvet to break our fall. His face was suddenly above mine, preventing me from going back to kissing his neck. It was his turn now to trail lingering kisses along my neck and to breathe softly against my ear, sending shivers down my spine. His hands worked continuously on my clothing, pulling the shreds of my shirt from my arms and rolling my vest top down to my waist. The front clasp bra didn't last two seconds before it was lying uselessly by my side, shoulder straps still in place.

"Not fair," I mumbled, slightly incoherently as I tried unsuccessfully to suppress a moan. He seemed to be everywhere at once and it still wasn't enough, I craved more contact with him.

"Better?" He asked with a slight chuckle after he'd knelt up to pull his t-shirt off, throwing it to the floor by the bed.

"Much," I replied with a smile as I tugged on his shoulders, pulling him back down to me. We kissed again, tongues tangled together and with such a heat that I didn't even know it was possible. His hands never rested, one second they were massaging my breasts and the next they were unbuttoning my shorts to push them down over my hips, taking my tights and panties with them. As soon as my skin was exposed his fingertips were running over me, tracing just hard enough not to tickle and in a way that set me groaning in frustration; it just wasn't enough. "More." I muttered against his lips, not bothering to pull back enough to speak properly. My own hands began to trail down his chest, feeling the hard muscles that went all the way down to a six pack of well defined abdominals and a deep v that continued into his jeans.

I deftly unfastened the buttons and pushed the thick fabric down over his hips, revealing his commando state. Even naughtier thoughts flooded my head and I pushed the jeans down with more strength, desperate to feel his naked body against mine. I eventually got them down to mid-thigh where he decided to take matters into his own hands and pulled them off the rest of the way himself. On his way back up my body he grabbed the clothing that was bunched around my thighs, pulling them off and tossing them in some unknown direction, not that I cared, leaving me completely naked.

He grasped my wrists, pulling my arms above my head in just one of his hands meaning that I was completely exposed to him. His mouth was instantly on my neck, exploring every inch of my skin as he trailed down, alternating his kisses there between nibbles. A moan escaped my lips which only worked to spur him on. His pelvis pressed into mine, unmoving, yet just enough to show me the strength in his body and just how much he wanted me.

"More," I rasped out, having had enough with the teasing. I even wrapped my legs around him to give him the full extent of the need behind my begging. It worked and he was inside me with one deep thrust that sent me moaning again.

His lips moved back up to my neck as his hands finally let mine go so that I could run my hands over his back and feel the wonderful muscles in his butt. I could feel his fangs pressing down into my skin as though he was toying with the idea of biting but always pulling back before he broke through the skin. I could feel his growling moan vibrating through his chest we were pressed that close together.

"Bite me," I whispered into the night, knowing it was something that we both wanted. I'd never been bitten before, not in this way by a vampire, and I wanted to experience it. It was a night of firsts. I let my head fall back; the pleasure that was beginning to flow through me threw my head back on to the pillow. He drew my flesh into his mouth for a second, gave my neck a sweet kiss and then bit down, his fangs instantly sliding through my skin.

The pain was sharp at first but then it gave way, almost immediately, to another form of pleasure. I had never known that it would feel like this. I could feel him sucking my blood into his mouth, taking the very force that was my life, into his body while filling me with a pleasure I'd never before experienced. My hands roamed back up his body to his head, where my fingers threaded through his hair and held him in place, encouraging him.

"Mm, Sookie." He mumbled as he retracted his mouth from my neck, his nose still buried in my hair since he couldn't pull back. He had never let up his rhythmic thrusts while he drank. "Look at me." He commanded as he pulled back as though my hands holding him in place were nothing so that he could stare into my eyes. He knew I was close. I could see his still elongated fangs, covered in a slight red sheen of my blood which sent the muscles in my stomach clenching madly at the thought of how it had got there. All it took was one more thrust and the deep smouldering of his eyes to tip me over the edge into wonderful oblivion.

I tugged on his neck again in my throes, pulling him back down to my neck so that he could bite again. He didn't bite though, he simply licked at the wounds he'd created not minutes before, and sucked deeply, dragging the last few drops from the bite marks before they healed too much. It was with that final act that he went spiralling down into bliss with me.

My eyes sprang open and I was suddenly wide awake, staring into the darkness of an unfamiliar room. I blinked slowly, trying desperately to clear my head and everything came swimming back to me in glorious Technicolor; I couldn't help but shudder slightly at the memories, they were that good. I could feel Eric's naked body still lying next to me; we weren't exactly snuggled up, our arms weren't wrapped around each other or anything, but his chest was pushed up against my back so that we were connected from shoulders to hips. I had no idea what time it was, a rather daunting thought, all I knew was that it must be before dawn because I somehow just knew that Eric was only in down time as I called it, not his day time slumber.

As slowly and carefully as I could, I began to slide across the soft sheets to the edge of the bed where I could hopefully, if there was enough light, begin the search for my clothes. Last night had been spectacular but I wasn't exactly looking for a repeat performance, well it would be nice.

"No." I whispered to myself, stopping my thoughts from disappearing in the wrong direction before I could stop them. The word worked on keeping my mind in control yet it also managed to work in startling the dozing vampire awake beside me. His arm snuck around my waist and clamped down, holding me in place in a rather awkward position considering I was already a good foot away from him by this point.

"Just where do you think you are going?" He asked, his voice deep with what I could only assume was tiredness. I didn't bother to turn around; knowing that if I did it would be much harder to keep my resolve to leave.

"I'm going home," I replied as I began prying his fingers from my stomach where his hand was now resting; his grip had relaxed when he'd become fully aware of the situation. After a second's contemplation he let go of me completely and I felt the duvet move, signalling that he'd rolled over onto his back.

There was just enough light in the room, the small bedside lamps had been set to dim, for me to see the chaos that was on the bedroom floor. Items of clothing were strewn everywhere, no two pieces were in a pile which was somewhat miraculous since a lot had been removed in quick succession. I managed to find my panties first. "What are you looking at?" I asked, trying to keep the edge in my voice but failing miserably; I sounded more mischievous than anything.

"You. It is quite the wonderful sight." I gave him another glance, taking in his position; he was lying on his back with the pillows plumped behind his head and his arms folded there too so that he was practically sitting up. His hair was completely messed up and still loose, falling around his gorgeous face, the best part was that he just didn't care that it was in a mess which made it look good. The smirk that I had seen plenty of earlier was back in place on his face. I just shook my head at him and continued in my search.

I quickly found my shorts and bra, but my tights had been lost somewhere in the darkness so I gave up on them. My vest top however was on the seat of one of the armchairs, looking almost as though it had been placed there. I pulled on my shirt and pulled everything into place, hopefully so that I looked somewhat presentable; my hair would have to wait until I retrieved my bag which was still upstairs in the office before I could fix it.

"That is my shirt." I sent him a curious look and glanced down, sure enough I was wearing his black baseball t-shirt that he'd been wearing last night. It was only then that I remembered my own shirt had been ripped beyond repair as we'd begun to attack each other. I pulled it off and I was about to throw it back at him, wadded up in a ball when he spoke up again. "Keep it." I growled in frustration and yanked it back on. "I enjoyed the show." At least he was enjoying my attempt at getting dressed; he still didn't seem all that bothered by me leaving him and I was sure that the girl wasn't usually the first one to leave where he was concerned. "Why are you leaving?"

"Because I have to. Last night, well it wasn't a mistake and I don't regret it, but I don't want anymore." A bemused grin crossed his face then and I could have sworn he was about to laugh out loud. "Relationships for me don't usually go so well."

"Have you been hurt?" I thought I detected a bit of concern in with his curiosity.

"What? No." There was nothing truly traumatic in my past, no cheating or abuse, my boyfriends just didn't seem to stick around for very long. I had a feeling that was due to my telepathy. "It just gets complicated."

"What are you Sookie Stackhouse?"

"A waitress," I replied easily, not pausing at all which was what probably gave me away.

"There is something more to you and I will find out. I will also see you soon."

"If you're so sure how come you aren't stopping me?"

"It is dawn and I am confident I will see you soon."

"Too confident and thanks!" I shot back as I walked briskly from the room, through the locked door that simply opened from this side, and up the stairs to the office. I had to be honest with myself; he was fun to be around.

My bag was found dumped on the floor just inside the main office door, next to my shredded top. I bent down, retrieved both things and dropped the latter into the trash can before walking out, trying to tame my wild hair as I walked.

"What have you done now?" That was the greeting I got from Amelia as I called her. I was sitting in my car in the staff parking lot at Merlotte's, just before my lunch time shift was due to start. I'd already been home, showered and changed for work.

"How do you know..." I didn't even get to finish my question before she was answering it.

"I tried calling your house several times and no response, I even tried Sam, and he hadn't seen you either. So you, missy, were up to no good." I giggled at her deduction because of course she was correct.

"I think I did something wicked."

"Well come on, spill the beans, I've been waiting years for a conversation like this." I shook my head at her, even from clear across the state she could read me better than anyone else I knew. Although I'd visited several vampire bars down in New Orleans over the years, I'd only ever been to bed with two people and they'd both been shifters. How she knew, at least in part, what I was going to say before I said anything was beyond me. "Who was it?"

"Eric."

"Who the hell is he?"

"You know the vampire..."

"Oh my god, you did it with buttlicious!" I laughed aloud at her nickname for Eric, before quickly sobering up.

"Yes."

"Well, was he good?"

"You have no idea. Now shut up, and let me speak!" Being blunt was sometimes the best way to be with Amelia; she had a tendency to go off on one if given any slack. "I'm beginning to wonder if I did the right thing. I've never done anything like this before. What do you think I should do? I don't want a relationship, not that I think he would have one anyway."

"Well, did anyone get hurt last night, at all?" her tone changed instantly to one of caring practicality.

"No." I replied quietly, the doubts still eating away at my mind.

"Then there's nothing to regret hunny. You just went out and had some fun, let your hair down for a change. I don't see the harm in that. You don't have to do anything at all, just let everything play out naturally. If you see each other again, that's cool, if you don't, well that should be cool too. Now get your butt into work."

"How did you know?"

"Remember I spoke to Sam last night? He said you were on the lunch shift. I've got to go too. Speak to you soon."

"Thanks Amelia, see you soon." We both hung up and I got slowly out of the car, feeling quite a bit better than I had just five minutes ago. There had been no need for her to tell me to go to work, I was still ten minutes early and I prided myself on my work ethic. Then again, that was probably why she'd told me, to earn herself a little giggle.

"You had sex." My eyes were wide as I stared into Sam's knowing face. He was sat behind his desk in his office and I was bending over to put my belongings in the large drawer he kept free for such purposes.

"How did you know?" I asked, not bothering to deny it. He was a shifter, and if he'd smelt it like I suspected, there was absolutely no point denying it at all.

"Your scent and you look happy."

"Erm, thanks, I think maybe." Sam wasn't being malicious in any way, just observant like he usually was and he was also looking out for me. I gave him a quick hug and then I turned to leave him along in the office, dealing with the order he was about to place.

"Do I want to know who?" He called out after me just as I was passing through the door.

"Nope," I replied back and went to grab my apron so I could start my shift which was to be a mix of waitressing and bar tending while Sam was in the office. With it only being a lunch time the bar work should be light.

My shift went wonderfully, even though I had to stay on for the late shift since the new girl had to take the day off because her little boy was sick, which by my standards meant that no one gave me dirty looks although I did get a couple of odd glances. When things like that happen I just turn up the wattage on my smile and pull through. However, tonight everything just went smoothly; I got all the orders right, I got some very nice tips and best of all Sam was in a good mood which meant that we were laughing and joking all night. I loved Sam, there was no doubt about it, he was a very good friend but it was these light hearted moods that suited him best, made him seem younger. So it was with a genuine smile still plastered across my face that I returned to my car late at night to go home to the one thing that would be waiting, my sweet little cat.

It's the good times that really show you how horrible the bad times can get and just how swiftly they can arrive. In my case, everything changed within a couple of days.

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**So, what did you think? You know i love feedback almost as much as i love certain Viking vampire**. **(I really should come up with something new for there, i've been using that for ages). **

**I forgot to mention earlier but did you see the images of the new Aston Martin Virage? *drools* that is a gorgeous car. A 6.0 litre V12 and 490 bhp, now that really is what you call a car. I'd be putty for anyone who had one of those. **

**Okay, so thanks for reading and have a very good weekend :)  
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	3. Phone calls

**Hello, **

**how are you wonderful readers? Had a good week? I know I have in the middle of all the revising/studying i've been doing. I went to a local farm today castrating sheep! This chapter is being posted today because I have a full day of exams tomorrow and as soon as they're finished i'm going visiting a friend for the weekend so I won't have internet access properly. Also, next week i'll also be updating on thursday because of lambing, i'm setting off early next friday to get to the farm on time and i doubt i'll have 'net access there so there may be a posting gap for a few weeks but if there is, i'll endeavour to update as soon as i can afterward.I'm still going to the gym in preparation for lambing, i'm turning into a lean, mean, lambing machine! You'd understand the mean thing if you knew what we had to do to the lambs for their own good.  
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**As many of you will know, I entered into a contest called Valentine's Fae Tales hosted by blackdeadorchids. So please go vote! The links to the main site where you can access the poll and all entered one shots via the community is **ht tp :/ /w ww .f an fi ct io n. ne t/ u/ 26 09 442

**I would like to thank my amazing betas campyrs and Trajedy99 who've been helping me for 6 months now, they do a fantastic job so hugs! **

**As always the Southern Vampire Mysteries is owned by Charlaine Harris. On with the chapter!**

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"Hello?" I asked groggily, knowing full well that whoever was calling me would be able to tell that I had just woken up.

"Hey Sookie," the voice on the other end greeted me. I had no idea who it was; the only clue to deduction was that it was female. Luckily, I didn't have to ask an awkward question. "It's Hayley, from Merlotte's." She was the new girl. Even with my sleep addled brain I thought it was strange she was calling me.

"Hi, what's up?" I forced myself to sit up in bed so that I would be at much less risk of falling back asleep; that would be exceedingly bad phone manners. A quick glance at the alarm clock told that it was just ten in the morning. "Brilliant," I thought to myself, "Less than four hours of sleep, no wonder I feel like a zombie."

"My shift was supposed to start at ten and there's no one here at all. I've tried all of Sam's numbers and have been over to his trailer; no response to any of it. I'm sorry to wake you but it was either call you or Terry." Her voice trailed off, sounding increasingly unsure of herself. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to call Terry as you could never guess what sort of a mood he would be in; some days his memories haunted him more than the present. She'd actually done the right thing; if Sam wasn't available people came to me.

"It's fine. I'll come over there and let you in. Erm, it'll be about ten minutes before I set off. Is Sam's truck there?"

"Yeah, I knocked real loud several times."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. If there isn't anyone there for your shift it isn't your fault. Just keep trying him and if you get a response let me know. Call my cell phone. See you in a bit." I hung up the phone and instantly relaxed back onto my bed with a loud, frustrated sigh.

"Tina!" I called out, hoping that my adorable cat was close by. Not a second after I'd shouted, her arrival was signalled by the soft jingling of the bell on her collar. She easily jumped up onto the bed to come and slump down along my side, flattening herself out like only a cat can. "Hey pretty girl, how are you doing today?" She just purred in response as I rubbed behind her ears. "I've got to go to work early today so you're going to have to fend for yourself again. Think you can do it?" She meowed, loudly, and for an instant I was sure she'd followed my ramblings and was responding with an affirmative. "You'll have your water and your food, I'll even leave the cat flap open for you. Now, I've got to go and kick Sam's butt for not being there. This really isn't like him." I huffed as I sat up, saying a silent farewell to the comfort that my bed offered. Tina didn't even move as I got up, instead choosing to remain lounging on the quilt while she followed me with just her eyes as I padded around the bedroom getting ready.

Twenty minutes later I was pulling into the staff parking lot at Merlotte's with a steaming mug of coffee, in a travel mug, resting in the cup holder on the dashboard. I was feeling a lot more alive than I had earlier although I wouldn't say I felt good; it had been a few days since I'd had a reasonable night's sleep.

"Hey Hayley," I called out as I stepped from the car. She was sitting on the back door step of the bar, looking apprehensive with her arms folded around her knees, hugging them to her chest.

"Hi Sookie, I'm sorry again to bother you but I didn't know what else to do."

"It's fine, just go on in and start whatever you were supposed to be doing. I'll see if I can get hold of Sam, this isn't like him." I unlocked the door and hung up my keys on the little hooks just inside of the door which were specifically for that purpose.

I didn't bother knocking on Sam's trailer I simply walked up to the door and relaxed my shields so I could really detect if there was anyone inside. I should have been able to tell if there was someone there without taking my shields down but I wanted to make sure. I came up a complete blank; there was nobody in there which was highly unusual. A quick glance round the back of the trailer told me that his truck was definitely there which meant he should have been home. Sam took great pride in his bar; he'd built it from the ground up, completely refurbished it and until recently he'd pretty much run everything to do with it personally. I knew he'd mentioned taking a little break sometime soon, to relax, but this was a bit too spontaneous for my liking and I simply didn't know of anywhere he could have gone without taking his truck.

I got the same response when I tried his cell phone; it went straight to voice mail which was only one of those generic ones put forward by the line provider. "Sam, its Sookie. Are you okay? You missed the start of Hayley's shift so I had to come down to the bar and let her in. Let me know if there's anything I need to do. Call me back." I hung up the phone and wandered back over to the bar. Since Sam wasn't here and I already was, I might as well get started on the morning tasks that Sam usually completed. So with a sigh, I took a seat behind the bar, partially so that I could keep an eye on Hayley since she really was quite new at the job, so that I could take a quick stock count.

I never heard from Sam that day and I had to admit I was becoming very worried about him. I spent my time at the bar, bar tending, doing a little waitressing during the dinner rush to keep things running smoothly and filing away everything that needed to be. By nine o' clock that night I'd had enough and finally picked up the phone to call the police. I think the only reason I hadn't done it early was that I knew Sam could take care of himself; he was strong, smart and he had a good head on his shoulders.

"Bon Temps police department." I heard a gruff voice on the other end of the line greet me.

"Hey Andy, its Sookie." I wasn't on the best terms with Andy since he thought I was a bit too weird to be really classed as good people, which was something I'd picked up straight from his mind one lunch time, but he knew I wasn't inherently bad so he couldn't bring himself to be anything but nice to me.

"Hi Sookie, what can I do for you?"

"I think Sam is missing." I replied, even I could hear the slight wavering in my voice as I finally said the words aloud.

"Okay, why do you think that and how long has he been gone?" The first question sounded ridiculously stupid; how many ways are there for someone to be missing? Usually it means they just aren't there.

"He didn't open the bar up this morning; missed the start of a waitress' shift. I haven't been able to reach him on any number all day, he isn't in yet his truck is here. I last saw him about one this morning when I left after my shift." I was at in Sam's office with the door locked so that I wouldn't be disturbed; there was no need for the people of Bon Temps to hear this phone call as it would only cause gossip to spread like wild fire.

"Right, okay, let me just write that down and I'll see what we can do." While I was waiting I glanced around the room and my eyes landed on a framed picture hanging above the opposite wall of me hugging a gorgeous collie dog, my cheek resting on top of his head and my arms around his neck. I had to smile at the memory it conjured of a lovely summer's evening last year.

I had known Sam was a shapeshifter for years, almost as long as I'd been working at Merlotte's. We both knew something was different about the other and I had brushed past him one afternoon at work while he'd been thinking about the full moon. That night he'd come to me in his dog guise and the following morning I discovered the dog was actually Sam; he then proceeded to tell me everything and in return I told him about my telepathy. We became close after that.

Back to the picture; it was taken during a time Amelia had been staying with me on a little break from New Orleans, just for a long 4th of July weekend, and Sam had come over to my house to celebrate with us. It just so happened that night had fallen on a full moon so he had to come in his dog form, which was the animal he preferred to shift into. Amelia had taken the photo of us just as we were about to start watching the local firework display from the comfort of my front porch. It was a good night, full of friendship and love. I'd given Sam a copy of the photo as soon as I'd had it printed and it wasn't much after that it had taken over the place of his other photo of a collie dog. Sam shifted into the animal he has last seen before his transformation.

"Did anyone see him after you?" I could tell he was trying to keep his tone soft so that he wouldn't sound accusing.

"I'm not sure. There was no one else here when I left, I was the closing waitress. I guess Terry might have seen him this morning, but he has his own key for the place."

"Okay, well, I'll get in touch with Terry see if he knows anything."

"Thanks Andy." That was an unexpected bonus of getting through to Andy; he was cousins with Terry so knew how to handle his bad moods better than the rest of us. Not that Terry was forced to be in a bad mood it was just a bit of a worry we all got when we first saw him or had to call him.

"Now for a bit of the bad news; I can't actually file a missing persons report nor do anything until it's been twenty four hours."

"Oh," I replied quietly.

"If we haven't heard anything by the morning I'll file one as soon as I get into the office. I can't call around anywhere until the allotted time but you can always call the hospitals or any family he's got or something."

"Yeah, okay."

"And Sookie?"

"Yep?" I asked, having to fight back from my mind that was spiralling down into all the bad things that could possibly have happened.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a tough guy. He's probably just taken an unexpected day off to get some rest." It actually sounded like Andy really believed his own words which gave me a lot more confidence in him. Despite his rough exterior and the bit of an attitude he carried around, he was quite a decent guy.

"Thanks Andy." I added and then hung up.

Taking an unexpected day off just wasn't like Sam; he told me pretty much everything and he had days off planned not too far away. He didn't have friends, not really close ones that he would visit, that weren't in Bon Temps as he preferred to keep to himself. I dutifully called every hospital in the area, including the ones in Shreveport just in case and got nothing from them, all of which I took as a good sign.

"Sookie, are we okay to take off?" Molly poked her head around the office door, her body still hidden behind it. A quick glance at the clock told me it was indeed closing time and that every patron should have left already. I'd been stuck in the office for a long time; the phone calls had been very draining, trying to get the information I needed.

"Oh yeah, sure. I'll lock up. I know you heard about what is happening this morning; everything is fine so don't worry." I plastered a big smile, the one I usually reserved for waitressing when I had my shields clamped down so tightly I wore it as a mask to the concentration. "I'll be by in the morning to let whoever is on the early shift in."

"Erm, that's you Sookie." My eyes widened when I realised she was indeed correct and a blush quickly spread across my cheeks. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you have a lot on your mind. We'll just get our stuff and take off." I nodded my consent and even pushed back from the desk so that they could easily collect their belongings that had been stowed in the spare desk drawer.

It took another hour before I was actually climbing into my gloriously comfortable bed. I'd never considered how hard closing up could be with all the little tasks that had to be done, I really did understand why Sam started them before all the patrons had left. I had a new found appreciation for the real life of a bar manager, especially since I had to be up early to open up. I never actually felt my head hit the pillow; my eyes were closed as soon as I sat down and my brain shut down soon after.

Getting up the next morning was physically painful; I spent at least twenty minutes swatting the snooze button on my alarm clock every few minutes to shut the damn thing up. I think the only reason I eventually got up was the annoyed meowing of Tina who sat beside my bed, just out of reach, as she grew tired of listening to the alarm clock go off, a sound quickly followed by my frustrated growl. Once I was actually up and had some coffee in me, getting ready didn't progress too badly although I did feel mighty guilty about leaving Tina all alone all day again. I know she's a cat and they're supposed to be rather independent but you can say what you like, some of them crave company and love cuddles.

The drive to the bar was full of anxiety; I had no idea what I was going to walk in on. There could be nothing changed from last night or there could be a handsome Sam sitting behind his desk getting the wage book updated ready for tomorrow's pay day.

"Shit!" I said quite loudly to myself as I stepped out of my little car, having pulled up in the parking lot. "Another thing I have to do. It'll have to wait until tomorrow." I grabbed my keys from my purse, just in case, and walked over to the back door to find it locked. Merlotte's was empty, everything was cleaner since Terry had been in but that was the only change to the place, it was eerily quiet. I've always had a problem with places being creepy, you know buildings where you are used to it heaving with people, when they're empty or even just quiet, it's just not right.

I got the same conclusion at Sam's trailer and it was obvious that no one had been back; nothing had been moved at all and the place just had a quiet feeling about it like the bar. Sighing I left the trailer behind and made my way back into the bar to start the morning tasks.

"Still no Sam?" Diane asked as she walked into the main room of Merlotte's, her apron already tied in place.

"No, haven't heard from him," I replied wearily from where I sat behind the bar waiting for a job to arise. We only had five people in the bar and four of them sat at one booth, already enjoying a brunch. To be fair it was only just eleven and the real lunch time rush wouldn't start for about an hour but it was when you were here on your own that you really realised just how quiet the early shift could be.

"Have you been in touch with the police?"

"Yeah, I left a message for Andy this morning. They're going to file a report but the general consensus is still not to worry." I gave her a smile that I knew was shaky at best. "Sam can handle himself."

"Though he didn't mention anything to you," she mused quietly. She was observant although it didn't take much skill to know that I and Sam were close and probably always would be. It was that fact that was giving me the worst feeling about his whole disappearance; he hadn't told me anything. There was fear about what that meant, because I had a feeling it couldn't be anything good, mixed with just a dash of hurt that I hadn't been trusted. Of course my own hurting was squashed by my assumption Sam's disappearance hadn't been completely his idea which was definite motivation for me to hit the road.

"Do you think you can handle everything until Rachel comes in? She's due in half an hour. I have to go meet someone." She was waving me away before I'd even finished speaking.

"That's fine, we're not exactly rushed off our feet now are we."

"Okay, well you've got my cell phone number and all the other waitress' numbers are in the little book beside the phone."

"I'll be fine, go meet whoever it is you need to." For a second I thought she was going to place her hands on my shoulders to give me a good natured shove out of the door but at the last second she reneged, letting her hands fall back by her sides. The tension that had flooded through me as I got a vague picture of what she had originally intended left my body and I left the room, leaving a confused Diane behind me. She knew I was different and that I grew uncomfortable at human contact, apart from with the odd person, the only things she couldn't figure out was why.

I was almost in Shreveport when my cell phone rang, causing me to jump slightly in my seat. At least my swerve was no worse than when I occasionally sneezed behind the wheel; now there's an exercise in car control. I pulled over onto the side of the road, slapped the hazard warning lights on and answered my phone without bothering to check the call ID; there were too many people I wanted to hear from that no matter who it was, I would be simultaneously happy and disappointed.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sookie," the deep growling voice replied, bringing a smile to my lips. I could imagine him lounging in his office chair, all muscles and handsomeness.

"What's up?"

"I'm just about done here at the office so I can take a break. Fancy meeting me at a coffee shop around the corner instead of here? My treat." I grinned and nodded my head, then realised that he couldn't see me.

"Sure. Which one?"

"Mocha Mooch, the one you liked last time."

"Sounds good, I'll see you in about fifteen minutes, I'm on the last rural road." We both hung up and I pulled back onto the road, suddenly wanting to get there even faster.

Mocha Mooch really was my favourite coffee shop; they did anything you wanted, whether it be tea, coffee, hot chocolate and their milkshakes were also pretty damn fine. One of the best reasons was that they didn't look at you like you'd grown a second head if you just ordered a standard black coffee. Sometimes you just need the simple things to make you happy. Right now, I would settle for anything with a decent amount of caffeine in it.

The cafe also held fond memories; my first date with Alcide had been there, sitting by the window just talking over drinks for hours until the place closed. Then he'd walked me back to my car and I'd returned to Bon Temps a very happy woman with plump lips from his kiss.

My thoughts quickly turned away from Alcide as I recognised the area of Shreveport that I was driving through and remembered the building that I was about to pass on my left. Fangtasia stood in the shadow of the shopping mall, looking small and barren in the bright light of day. The neon signs that proudly displayed the name in the darkness were shut down so that you could barely see them. If you weren't looking for the building it wouldn't really register; the walls were a dull grey, the parking lot empty so that as little attention as possible was drawn to it. It actually reminded me of a large maintenance shed or something.

I knew better though, I knew the hive of activity it would become in only about five hours and the people that would be flocking from all over to spend the night dancing or just drinking there. Night really did transform it. It wasn't just the building I thought about as I turned my neck to look as I passed; it was the creature that might have been sleeping underneath the ground there. I wanted to know whether he was in there, alone or not. I was under no illusion that I was the only one that had seen that room or that I was the only one that had been a one night stand for him, even recently. I was willing to bet that I was one of the few that had opted to leave before he was finished with me.

It was that amusing thought that took me all the way to the other side of Shreveport to meet with Alcide.

"There's my girl!" The large werewolf greeted me as soon as I walked into the unique coffee shop. The few patrons in there all turned their heads to watch his movement; when someone as big as him makes an announcement that loud, everyone tries to find out who the lucky lady is.

"Hey!" I greeted him in return, throwing my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist to pull me in tight against his body in a massive bear hug.

"How are you doing?" He finally set me down on the ground and directed me to the table he'd been saving for us with his hand on the small of my back. I could feel the heat from his body through my clothes and it was comforting, more so than I'd ever realised. "I didn't order for you." He added as I shucked off my coat to slide it onto the back of what was obviously going to be my seat.

"It's fine."

"No, sit. I said the coffee was on me, what do you want?" He flashed me a grin which lit up his entire face and his eyes seemed happy with the tiny little wrinkles surrounding them lightly.

"Large Americana with an extra shot please, just a dash of milk." He nodded his head with a slight chuckle and went to get in the queue.

Alcide was a huge guy, the only person I knew that was larger than him was Eric and then it wasn't really by all that much; a couple of inches maybe and a slight bit more muscle. He was the polar opposite of the vampire in every other way though; his hair was black, so was the few days worth of stubble that decorated his chin which was just beginning to get a tinge of distinguished silver running through it. His skin still held the rich tan that he'd developed over the summer, since it was only early autumn, working on construction sites. He was a warm person in general, not just the hotter than normal pure werewolf blood that ran through his veins. He was sweet and kind, although he did have a somewhat troubled past, and he honestly cared about me. The only problem we really had now was that he still cared a little too much.

"There you go," he placed the large mug in front of me and it didn't go unnoticed how the muscles in his forearms flexed with the motion. I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to Alcide, any girl would be lucky to have him, we just didn't work like that, as we'd found out before.

"Thanks."

"Now, I'm guessing this isn't a purely social call, what can I do for you?" He relaxed back into his chair, ran his hand through his shaggy hair and took a sip of his coffee, never taking his eyes off of me.

"I think Sam's in trouble." A dark cloud seemed to cross his pretty eyes so I continued my explanation. "I know Sam isn't a Were but he respects you and I was wondering if you could help."

"Why isn't he here himself to ask for help?" Not a second later his quick mind had reasoned that if Sam could be here, he would have been. "What's happened to him?"

"That's the thing, we don't know. He's just disappeared. He didn't speak to anyone, there's been no word from him and no one has seen him in about thirty six hours." I told him the rest of the story while he just listened to me, nodding his head and asking the occasional question when he wanted a little more information.

"So," I finished, "Do you know anything about what could have happened?"

"I didn't know anything had happened to him, but it hasn't been that long for gossip to reach my ears. I'll keep a look out and ask around. As for what could have happened, I honestly don't know." I felt a wave of sympathy from him when he saw my dejected face and I made an effort to keep my expression at least neutral. "There are rumours beginning to circulate though."

"Rumours?"

"I don't think it's connected though, not directly anyway. I think there's a new shifter of some kind in town. A couple of the Pack at the last transition stayed on a different territory, scoping it out for a potential hunting ground for all of us, and one of them thought they heard a howl they didn't recognise. Definitely not a dog either."

"So there's more Weres in Shreveport?" I was using the term Were to refer to just Werewolves, it was an elitist term but it also happened to be what they called themselves too. Then again then did tend to be an elitist group; they were the largest of the shifter variety, arguably the strongest and definitely the most organised. In my eyes that didn't equal best although I was very careful not to voice that opinion around certain ears.

"We're not sure. There haven't been any more signs of a shifter around. Eli was adamant that he heard a supernatural howl though. We're beginning to think it was someone just passing through." The full moon had been a week ago, I had a very good grasp of the lunar cycle these days, so if a new Were or group was in the area, signs should have started showing up.

"How would this relate to Sam?"

"I'm not sure it does, like I said indirectly. It's another shifter abnormality within the same area."

"Hmm," was my eloquent reply. I finished my coffee, setting the empty cup to the centre of the table.

"Is there anything else you want me to do? I can come to Bon Temps, take a look around if you like?"

"No, I couldn't see anything. Thanks."

Neither of us got a chance to say anything just then as his cell phone rang, and judging by the look on his face it wouldn't be a pleasant call. "Just a second," he excused himself and stepped outside to talk to whoever was on the line in the mild autumn sunshine.

"I'm sorry to do this Sookie," Alcide said in way of a greeting as he regained his seat opposite me at the table. His hair was now a rather dishevelled mess from where his hands had been running through it in frustration. In a rare moment of telepathic clarity from a Werewolf I knew exactly what he was going to say before the first word even left his lips. "That was the foreman on one of the sites, there's been an incident and I need to go and smooth things over."

"It's okay," I replied. One good thing about telepathy is that it's very helpful when you are trying to comfort someone; you know exactly what they need to hear to make them feel better, and right now I could actually follow through with what he wanted. "We'll meet up again sometime soon, catch up properly."

"Thanks. I'll walk you to your car." We both stood up and pulled on our coats to walk silently out of the cafe to the little parking lot at the side.

"I'll see you soon and thanks." I wrapped my arms around his waist again, giving him a hug and then I reached up on my tip toes to place a gentle kiss on his stubble covered cheek. As soon as I felt the beginnings of desire rumbling through his mind, I pulled back, gave him a final smile and got in my car. I saw him watching my car until I turned round a corner, disappearing from view.

I knew Alcide still liked me, but he was harmless, and he definitely wouldn't act on his impulses, he respected me too much for that.

After a much needed afternoon nap that I'd taken as soon as I got back to my little old home, I was examining the nearly healed bite marks on my neck, just above the junction with my shoulder. I'd already been in the shower and my hair was trailing down my back, looking brown with the water and it even had a slight wave to it, unlike my hair when it was dry. Even to myself I looked pale and tired, there were still some slight circle under my eyes, and my usual tan had receded much quicker than I'd expected.

The marks from the vampire's bite were fading quickly, so much so that if you weren't looking for them you were unlikely to see them as anything abnormal, just a couple of moles or something. I hadn't developed any bruising at all there which had actually surprised me but when I thought about it, it kind of did make sense; Eric had taken all the blood from the area until it had healed over, so there was no blood around to mar the flesh. Even more surprisingly the wounds hadn't hurt at all either, not even a mild ache as far as I'd noticed.

With a rather tentative movement I poked them, to see if I could get any reaction. It wasn't abnormally painful and the almost scabs over the top definitely didn't rupture and bleed. In fact it didn't even look like I'd scar where they were, which was definitely a good thing. Looking at them reminded me of that night though; the way he'd made me feel special even though I knew I definitely wasn't. I'd walked into the situation knowing everything and I didn't have any misgivings about it going anywhere. I definitely understood now why some women never looked back after being with a vampire. My eyes rolled back at the memory of how he'd simply made me feel. My phone rang as I was revelling in the memory and I reached out blindly to grab it from the cabinet where it rested; I had been waiting for a call from the police, or anyone really, to say they'd found Sam or for Sam himself to call with an explanation, so I was keeping it with me at all times.

"Hello?" I asked without bothering to check the caller identification.

"You were thinking about me." He didn't say a greeting and I didn't need one to know who he was instantly, how he'd got my number though was beyond me. I tucked that question away quickly for future reference; I would need to get the answer at some point.

"How did you..." I stuttered and let my voice trail off quietly, knowing that I'd been caught. How he knew though was another very interesting question. He didn't answer me at first, all I could hear was a deep, rumbling chuckle and I could imagine him grinning while he sitting in his office chair, feet upon the desk in a relaxed position. Of course I had no idea where he was.

"I did not know anything, but it was a wonderful test that worked out rather well. Now, what precisely were you thinking about?"

"That's none of your business what goes on in my head." I replied, going for annoyed as my defence. It was good that he couldn't see me or he would have spotted the guilty blush that had spread across my cheeks in earnest. There was another deep laugh that resounded in my ear.

"Well, since you will not play along, let me get down to business." His tone changed sharply with that statement and even over the phone, separated by miles, I could feel the tension rising. "I had a rather interesting phone call earlier this evening, just after I awoke actually." A quick glance at the clock told me that he would only have been awake for an hour at the most. "Now, please tell me why I had to find out from a Werewolf," he basically spat that particular word out. "That you needed supernatural help with finding a certain Sam Merlotte, a shifter that owns a bar that you happen to work for." I had no idea why he was so angry; I didn't think we were close enough for me to turn to him for help so it must be that he'd found out information from a werewolf instead of straight from the source.

"Alcide is my friend. It's a shifter problem so I went to a Were."

"Sam is the owner of a bar, as am I and he resides within my Area. There are certain things that I come to know. Plus, I am indebted to you."

"Why do you feel indebted to me?" I knew he wouldn't like feeling like he owed me at all.

"The raid on the bar, you gave me early warning, so I feel I should return the aid." There was something he wasn't telling me; I could just feel I wasn't getting the entire story.

"Do you know something about Sam that could help?"

"Perhaps."

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**So what did you think? What are you guys thinking about Alcide? You know I love feedback almost as much as I love a certain Viking vampire (i didn't actually come up with anything new :/) **

**Did you see the teasers/spoilers from Paley Fest? Oh wow, they really are doing the amnesia storyline, or at least something to do with it and that vid of Eric wandering lost and innocent down the lane? Gorgeous. Now all we have to do is pray for a shower scene and pink spandex. It might even change my view of the color pink. **

**So yeah, that sums up this week. Thanks for reading and i'll be posting next thursday. **

***hugs*  
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	4. Frustrating vampire

**Hello!**

**How are you? Had a good week? I hope so. **

**I've had a very good week; last week on my exams I got 2 distinctions in my mocks and I'm still waiting for the results of my actual exam to come in but I'm sure I'll let you guys know. Then they released the new teaser trip for True Blood, I had a road trip, came back to London, went to the cocktail bar, went on a Jack the Ripper walk because I was feeling like a tourist, I worked yesterday so I can have some money, went to Cost Co for the American style shopping experience and tomorrow, I got lambing! I'm ridiculously excited. Although it does mean I have no idea when I'll actually get to post again because I don't know what the internet situation is there. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be fine and I should get plenty of writing done in my down time because there's not an awful lot to do in a 1 farm village in Devon. Oh! Can't believe I forgot this bit in my list above, Rehearsals won first place in the blind judging section of the competition, Valentine's Fae Tales!**

**As always a very big thank-you to my spectacular betas campyrs and Trajedy99, they do an amazing job. **

**The Southern Vampire Mysteries are owned by Charlaine Harris. On with the chapter!**

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"Could you just give me a straight answer?" I asked, already frustrated with the vampire and I'd only been on the phone with him for about a minute.

"No." He replied and I could have sworn I heard the smirk in his voice as he said it. "What are you wearing?" I managed to see my reaction to that question in the mirror; my jaw actually dropped slightly and my eyebrows rose surprisingly quickly in sheer disbelief that he'd swung the conversation around so quickly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I finally pulled myself together enough to ask, knowing that I'd spent a little too long thinking it through.

"Plenty, depending on your answer." I was just about ready to throw my phone out of the bedroom window, even though it was shut tight. I had to reply though on the slim chance that he really did have some pertinent information; as time progressed I was become increasingly worried about dear Sam; yes he could handle himself but the longer he was gone the more suspicious the situation became.

"A towel," I mumbled in reply, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks again as I spoke and just after the last one had fully gone.

"Well that certainly was a good answer. You think well." I took that as an honest compliment and smiled, until I realised that he didn't believe me.

"I am wearing a towel," I stated again, using a bit more confidence. I felt the need to make him believe me; I'd rather be telling the truth that I was in a towel that be thought to be lying about it to get what I wanted.

"I know; it really is a good answer." I heard a slight shuffling, as though he had shifted position slightly where ever he was sitting.

"So do I get this information you may have?" I growled into the phone, letting the anger that was slowly building begin to take over me; I'd had enough of this phone call and if it went on any longer I was going to be running the risk of being late, it was a self imposed deadline but I still didn't want to be late.

"Perhaps." He replied again and I wished I could wipe the smug, smart-ass grin of his handsome face.

"Fine. You know what? If you have information you can just say it to my face, I'm going to be late for work. Goodbye!" I huffed into the phone and ended the call, tossing it harshly onto the bed so that I could get dressed.

"Hey Sookie," the new girl, I had to stop referring to her like that and use her actual name, greeted me as I walked into the bar in my usual uniform. I was working behind the bar for the night crowd but it still helped in case I needed to lend a hand waitressing. I wasn't entirely sure what would happen when I had an evening or late shift, if Sam wasn't back by then; we had two days.

"Hi Zoe," I replied back with a bit of a forced smile as I was still somewhat ticked off by my unexpected phone call and all the questions it had brought to light. "You guys doing okay out there?" I gave the bar a quick scan and it looked like just about any other week day evening out there; the couple of resident alcoholics already in their usual places, a few family dinners just about winding down and a steady influx of people wanting to relax after a hard day at work.

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks. Oh, gotta go, refills." She walked off, still somehow managing to have a bounce in her step even though I knew for a fact that she'd already been standing up for a four hour shift that wasn't going to be ending for at least another two.

Bar tending was actually a little boring when you only had time to pull the pints or grab the bottle instead of talking with the people doing the ordering. That's a pro of working at Merlotte's; you knew the majority of people that came in at least by name so you could talk to them without being too weird, it was however, also a major downside at times, especially when it came to gossip. Luckily though, despite it turning out to be a busy evening, the waitresses held their own and didn't need any assistance. I was especially happy about that since it was Zoe's first shift like this; if she stuck at it she would be very good.

I blamed the contained chaos for not realising straight away that there was something strange happening with the patrons but I also had my shields clamped down so hard that I was running the risk of developing a severe headache from the strain so I wasn't aware of the questions in everyone's minds. The activity around the bar was heavy; two people thick with patrons standing in small groups to chat while others sat on the bar stools and a few people actually queuing up to get a drinks order that they couldn't be bothered asking a waitress for.

I was fixing a new bottle of Southern Comfort up on the pegs, being careful not to drop the empty bottle like had happened before, when he walked in. There were so many brains around me, I could sense people around me even with my shields protecting my mind, that I didn't spot the blank spot at first.

"You need any help with that Sook?" Jason called over the bar, deciding to be a good big brother.

"No, I'm okay thanks." I shot back without bothering to turn around; I needed to keep focused as I slid the bottle home. I still didn't know why I always seemed to have such trouble with them; it was supposed to be an easy task. "I got it." I turned around to find that most people, even one of the alcoholics who'd been perched on his stool for three hours already, had turned to look at something going on further down the room. I couldn't see much as the men surrounding the bar blocked most of my view. "Jason?" I asked when I found that he'd turned his back on me to watch whatever was happening out there. It was right at that point that I felt it. The spark in my mind that told me something was different and I immediately homed in on the tell tale blank spot of a vampire. I couldn't stop the audible groan from leaving my lips and just my luck, Eric would have heard it too.

"Can I get a double whisky on the rocks?" Gunn asked me, ignoring the ruckus going on behind him with a determination I admired; I knew I wouldn't be so lucky.

I was right, no sooner had I placed the glass in front of Gunn and taken his brandished cash, the crowd in front of the bar parted to reveal Eric, in all his ridiculously tall glory. He was actually dressed down; or rather he was wearing more colour than I'd seen him in before. His jeans were the darkest blue and his t-shirt was plain white, and wonderfully tight, of course he had teamed this with what I would call his trademark leather jacket and biker boots. I surprised even myself with how much I was able to pick up about him in the most cursory of glances; apparently I was still rather angry with him.

"What do you want?" I asked, letting my exasperation seep into my voice, as he sat down on a recently vacated bar stool. I was forced to meet his gaze; he was staring directly at my eyes, which was an unobstructed view thanks to his hair being tied back tightly at the base of his neck.

"Well now, that is not how you treat your patrons. Try a smile, a pleasant tone and a hint of suggestion goes a long way." He actually wiggled his eyebrows at me and smiled wide enough to show me the tips of his fangs protruding below his lip. I was well aware of the slight blush creeping along my cheeks and the gawking faces of what felt like everyone in the bar.

"Okay. What can I get for you?" I asked, exasperation still leaking through but at least I teamed it with a smile, albeit the one I used when my telepathy was just getting too much for me.

"Do you stock True Blood?"

"Ah, yeah." I just had to hope it was still in date; we didn't get many vampires in these parts but Sam felt the need to keep some in stock just in case, I think it was a supernatural team spirit type thing although I'd never experienced it before. "We only have one sort, um, type though."

"That is fine."

The blood was kept in a refrigerator in the main storeroom just off the side from the bar; Sam may have wanted some in just in case but he didn't want it clogging up space in the bar refrigerator for more frequently requested drinks. So, with a slight sway to my hips I left the bar to grab his bottle of blood. I even used the microwave we kept back there for staff to use, just so I could have a few more seconds to prepare for whatever it was that Eric wanted. When I'd told him to just say it to my face over the phone I really hadn't imagined that he'd ever come all the way over to Bon Temps.

When I walked back into the bar I was sure it wasn't the same one I'd left not two minutes since. Eric was now surrounded by a small group of people, all of whom were wearing looks that ranged from apprehensive and thinking about how long it would take them to run for the door if he did something strange and complete wonderment that they were talking with a real vampire. It didn't go unnoticed that at least half of the group were women and they tended to be the ones in wonderment or ogling, judging by a wave I got from one broadcaster's mind as I drew closer, lust was in the mix too.

"Here you go," I told him sweetly and pushed the bottle in front of him, even setting it down on a little napkin. Then I left him to it, he seemed to be enjoying himself anyway if the amused smirk was anything to go by. I tried my damndest to ignore the little group and walked to the other end of the bar to serve the people there.

"Sook," my brother started out as I neared him. "Who is that? I get the impression he knows you." Of all the times for Jason to be intuitive he had to pick tonight and this situation.

"Yeah, I met him when Amelia and I went to the vampire bar a couple of months back." I replied, feeling bad to lie to him even though it was only by omission and to save him as much as me. I did not need my brother to decide to be all protective and try to defend me against a vampire; no matter what I said he would never see the night as my idea, I would forever be his sweet little sister.

"What's he doing here? You don't just visit Bon Temps."

"I don't know Jason, I honestly don't know." At least that was the truth. I poured him another pint without bothering to take any cash from him; if he was slightly inebriated he wasn't going to notice as much, besides Eric had given me enough cash to more than cover a drink for my brother.

Unfortunately for me, the next customer ordered a rum and coke, the rum for which just happened to be located in front of where the vampire was sitting. I can shut down my telepathy, to a certain extent anyway, however just like other humans out there I couldn't be truly selective about my hearing and I couldn't help but overhear one particular woman. When I glanced in their direction she had her hands, complete with long manicured fingernails, on his shoulders, rubbing them over the top of his arms so that she could feel the defined muscles there. Luckily, the growl I felt in my chest was contained and I was able to get the drink without hauling out and punching her. Apparently I had good self-control in some situations.

"Jason, take over for me." I threw him the standard bar tender's rag for mopping up spillages and didn't even bother to wait for a response from him before stomping to the other end of the bar once more. "Alright, come with me." I told Eric, pinching his bottle of True Blood from its place in front of him, hoping that it would influence him to follow me.

I needn't have bothered wondering whether he was going to follow me, I hadn't been able to hear him at all and I'd been so full of emotion that my telepathy was shot with my shields still being clamped, because when I turned around after storming into the office he was right there, not a foot away from me. I planted the bottle, which was still mostly full, onto the wooden desk and took a step back so that I was pacing along the wall behind the desk. He was still wearing a toothy grin when he sat down, completely relaxed, in one of the visitors' chairs, even stretching his long legs comfortably out in front of him.

"What are you so smug about?" I growled out as I tried to think through what I'd just been feeling. If I had to label it, it would have said it was jealousy but that just wasn't like me. I tended to not feel jealousy, apart from general people leading a normal life which I would never have. If I did feel jealousy or envy it would dissipate quickly as I remember about all the things I had in life that I was grateful for and it had never been that consuming.

"I got you alone, with a locked door between us and anyone else," he raised his eyebrows and curled one side of his mouth up into a smirking grin. I sighed, the air coming out of me in more of a growl than anticipated.

"Why didn't you drink the True Blood?" I asked when I saw the bottle sitting there on the desk, still untouched. It was something inane to think about while I calmed down a little.

"I do not like it."

"Then why in the hell did you order it?" I closed my eyes lightly and began to walk up and down the length of the office, six steps and then turn. I knew the bar so well that I apparently didn't need to see anything to know where everything was. I concentrated on my breathing as much as was possible while still having a conversation, counting each breath for a count of three.

"So that you would not chuck me out, or try to at least." I laughed, a snorting laugh that wasn't very ladylike, but I laughed nonetheless. He was completely right; if he'd come into Merlotte's and just sat down without ordering I would have sent him on his way. Whether he obeyed or not was a completely different matter, although I think we both knew the answer to that. "I just do not like the synthetic blood; most of the common stuff is vile, so generic and bland. If I must drink it I stock rare blood types, they tend to have a little more of a kick to them."

"So you get bored by the thing that lets you live? That's like not enjoying food!"

"Well, I did not say that. There are certain drinks I quite enjoy." I definitely wasn't mistaken when I thought I saw his eyes dip slightly lower than my eyes to hover over the place where he'd bitten my neck to take my blood, even though you couldn't really see the skin in the t-shirt I was wearing. "There is no point in living forever if you do not have fun."

"Okay, then why are you here?" I finally felt calm enough to stop my pacing and took a seat in the office chair that Sam used, resting my arms on the armrests and only relaxing slightly into the comfortable cushions of the back.

"You invited me."

"No, I didn't." He was still smirking at me and it seemed that nearly everything I said or did he found amusing on some level.

"Yes you did, you said that if I had any information I was to come down here and tell you to your face. Here I am."

"Since when do you do something that a human tells you to?" I hardly knew him but I could already tell that he wasn't the type of guy to do just anything that anyone told him.

"When I want to do it myself."

"Okay," I sighed out, preparing myself for the next question to cross my lips. It really wasn't fair that I was beginning to notice how gorgeous he looked; he was still sitting in the chair like he owned the place, without a care in the world and the confidence looked good on him. His eyes were sparkling with what I could only describe as life. "What information do you have to tell me?"

"I was thinking that I should tell you after your shift; I am quite enjoying this conversation and we would not want you to be distracted at work." I stood up so fast that I sent the chair, which was on wheels, flying back into the wall behind me and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks in sheer frustration; I simply could not handle this vampire.

"Gah!" I cried out, not caring that there very well was someone listening on the other side of the door; their mental signal had been hovering around too long for them simply to be going to the restroom. "You are insufferable! That first night I saw you I knew, knew without a doubt, to even think about getting involved, I was in a pact for God's sake!" I began to pace again, keeping my blazing eyes open so that I could keep shooting him glares. "Then the next time I see you, you already know what I'm there for and I break my pact with you. You! Out of all the guys; Vampires and Weres, I chose you! What was I thinking? I can't handle this." I huffed a sigh as I spun around to begin my walk to the other end of the room. On my previous glance I'd found him to be following my every move with his eyes, clearly amused by my show of frustration.

"I'm trying to find and help my boss because who knows what the hell has happened to him and all you can do is sit there and be so annoying! Do you even have any information, at all?" Another corner. "You are just completely." I never got to finish that sentence, hell I didn't even get to finish that train of thought. I was pacing back toward the centre of the room, my heated gaze aimed at the carpet so hard that I was actually slightly surprised the fibres weren't singeing. The next thing I knew there was something hard and muscular under my hands, cool to the touch and I was being kissed. Well, more than that, I was kissing back.

My hands were pressed up against his chest; it was his well defined pectorals that I could feel underneath my fingers through the thin material of his t-shirt. He was standing so close to me, without actually touching, that I would have classed it as a form of torture because as soon as my brain caught up to what my body was feeling I just wanted more, so I stepped closer so that our bodies were touching from hips to chest. My hands slid upward to wrap around his neck, bringing me ever closer and allowing me to stand up on tiptoe so that I could reach his lips better. His hands were wrapped around my back, his hands holding my shoulders to him at first, and then they moved; one going up to tangle with the hair at the back of my head so that I wouldn't pull back and the other to grasp my butt.

The kiss was searing, stole every little bit of breath from my body. It started with just lips, teasing and forceful but it became so much more. He carefully used his teeth to pull gently on my bottom lip in between exploring my mouth with his tongue. I responded in every way I could. I was so in the moment that I didn't even care when a low moan escaped my lips.

I gasped as I pulled back, taking a much needed gulp of oxygen into my desperate lungs. I didn't pull away far though, instead I kept myself just hovering over him, letting my breath tickle over his lips and I held my eyes lightly closed, wanting to stay within our little bubble. I eased forward, barely moving so that he could sense me just not quite touching. That was all it took for him to press me back into the wall, holding me protectively within his arms and for his lips to find mine again. Our tongues moved together, desperate for the others touch and the passion behind it left me breathless.

I broke away again and this time he stepped back from me, a grin spread across his face that made his eyes shine. His fangs were fully elongated giving his smile a strange effect that actually made him look even better. He was made to be a vampire; I really couldn't imagine him as a human. It was that random thought that made me wonder about his human life and just how old he was. My heart was thumping in my chest and I was still gasping for breath. I couldn't believe he'd been able to kiss my anger from me, turning the heat that I'd felt in one emotion into another one that was decidedly more dangerous, especially if I was to spend some time alone with him talking about this information he may or may not have.

"My shift finishes about 1am." I mumbled as I smoothed down my t-shirt, making sure that I was still presentable. "If you have information and want to actually tell me it, stick around and we can talk then." He nodded his head at me, the intensity in his eyes almost burning. "Just behave." I said with as much authority as I could muster, which when I could tell my lips were swollen from the energy behind his kiss and my hair was rumpled from his hands, I knew wasn't much. I didn't bother looking to see if he agreed, his chuckle was the only answer I needed. Walking from the room I headed straight into the restroom to sort out my hair and it was there that I found Jason, standing idly in the doorway. So it was my brother that had been the eavesdropper. I was not in the mood for anything that he could possibly say so I just fixed him with a glare that only a sister can have for her brother and stomped into women's room.

By the time one in the morning rolled around there were just three people left in the bar; myself, a rather entranced, although not by his use of powers, barmaid and a vampire that had been following my every movement with his eyes. I had to admit I'd been playing up, knowing that he was watching me, by putting an extra sway into my hips when I walked and keeping a smile, no matter how small, on my face. People always looked better when they're happy. I'd had to send my brother out, almost drawing close to literally shoving him out of the door, when we finally closed about a half an hour ago. He'd wanted to stay, to make sure that I was safe because he said he could have sworn there was something 'just not quite right' about him and the situation regarding me. If only he knew the truth.

"Okay, Zoe, you're good to go. I can take the rest; I'll see you tomorrow lunch time." I smiled sweetly at her, not liking how her gaze kept shifting to Eric who was only too well aware that it did. I hadn't caught anything from him but I was sure he was doing something to toy with her, keeping her at least a little hopeful.

"Okay, thanks, if you're sure?" She came to stand at the bar, reaching behind her to pull the now unneeded apron undone.

"Yeah, I got everything here. In fact I'll be done in two minutes too." She nodded at me and with one last longing look at Eric walked through the door, calling a 'goodnight' to us over her shoulder.

"Merlotte's is a very interesting bar," he stated as soon as we heard the staff door shut, telling us that she'd left the building. "I may have to come here more often." He kept his smile under wraps this time, even though his eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"Oh no you don't mister. You will stick with your own bar. You are much too much trouble," I huffed, only half serious. If I was honest with myself I was still thinking about the kiss in the office; I was sure my lips were still tingling and it had been good enough to make my knees weak. During my saner moments as I thought of them, when I realised just how bad an idea it was going to be to spend time alone with him, I knew I was doomed.

Two minutes later, after locking the till up with the master key and grabbing my belongings from the office I was ready to go. "Okay, you ready?" I asked, already regretting the next thing I was going to say. "We'll talk at my house. I'm exhausted and I need to sit down, so we can talk there." The glint in his eyes told me I was probably in more trouble than I'd realised.

"Where's your car?" I asked when we got into the parking lot. From where we stood I could just about see every corner of the customer parking lot and it was completely empty, in fact the only two cars in sight were my little motor and Sam's truck.

"I did not drive here."

"Then what the hell did you do?" I turned around to look at him; his skin was glowing ever so slightly in the darkness of the night.

"I flew." It was only his complete seriousness that made me believe him. I filed away that piece of information later, for later when I could really appreciate the impact it had. I was currently too tired to do anything more than nod in acceptance; I may have had an afternoon nap but I had still had a ridiculously long shift.

"Okay, well get in. I'll drive you to my house."

I was standing inside my hallway, having already kicked off my shoes in a sheer need to be out of them and my coat was hanging on its hook, looking out at the vampire who was standing on my porch wearing an amused expression on his face.

"Well?" He asked, the word rolling off of his tongue with the hint of an accent. I knew exactly what I hadn't done but I wanted at least to have some semblance of control for a little while. "Are you going to invite me in so we can discuss the situation at hand, or perhaps you would prefer hot, passionate sex? Warm my skin?"

"No," I replied a little too quickly and it took all of my control to stop myself from turning away from his gaze in embarrassment. I held strong; this man had seen every inch of my body, so I really shouldn't have been bothered by him in this way.

"How about so that I can protect you from all the monsters that go bump in the night?"

"No, you are one of the monsters that goes bump in the night." Now his handsome face stretched up into a glorious smile that lit up his eyes. His fangs weren't extended at all which was definitely something to note down.

"How about I kiss you like I did in the bar?" I didn't get a chance to reply before he was speaking again, obviously having been able to read my reaction to that statement on my face. "Okay, I promise to behave."

"Okay. So, Mr Northman, please come in to my humble abode," I said with a small smile and a flourishing bow, purely because I'd always wanted to do something like that after I'd seen someone do it on a silly television show a few years ago.

Before I had a chance to stand up or even to react to the booted feet I saw standing seemingly only a few inches in front of me, a large, cool hand gripped one of mine and tugged. He swept my arm above my head with a spiralling motion of force that sent me spinning around since I was only wearing socks on the hardwood floor. I ended up twirling around, a giggle escaping my lips when I realised that I was in no real danger. As the spin slowed down, he brought my arm down, still gripping my hand, until I finally stopped with my back pressed to his chest and his arms wrapped around me to hold me in place.

I was still laughing quietly when he lowered his head, he was so much taller than me, to speak into my ear which brought his mouth to hover just a couple of inches above where he'd bitten me not so long ago. Something within my stomach constricted deliciously at the thought. "A peace offering." He said quietly and if I wasn't adamant that I had more control, I would have said my breath caught at him being so close, his breath tickling my ear.

I became aware of Tina sat in the hallway with her all seeing green eyes staring directly at us. Her fluffy paws were resting in a way I can only describe as delicately on the floor, no sign of her claws that I knew she had no problem with showing when new people were around. It had taken her a month to be within four feet of my brother without scratching him. The only sign of movement from her was the slow twitch of just the tip of her tail which was wrapped partly around her slender body as she sat. Her cute little ears were held flat out to the sides giving her an expression of pure annoyance, as though we'd just woke her up with our antics from a very good slumber. Knowing exactly how lazy she was, we probably had.

"Why is your cat staring at us?" Eric asked me quietly, having not moved at all. I could feel the coolness of his skin beginning to envelope me.

"I don't know, she usually makes a snap decision about whether or not she likes people. It takes her awhile to change her mind after that. I've never seen her ponder things before." Pondering was exactly was she was doing; if I could read animals' minds, thank God that I can't, I would have been able to hear the contemplation of Eric's advantages and disadvantages going on in that pretty little head of hers.

"Animals always make snap decisions about vampires, they never like us." I shrugged; what else was there to say on that matter? I had noticed the lack of insects and small animals in the clearing in which my house sat, which was in sharp contrast to the veritable cacophony that usually accompanied my late night arrival at home this time of year.

"Come on, let's go into the living room. Just be careful, she can be a little claw happy," I cautioned as I stepped from his embrace. I stooped down to scratch behind Tina's ears as I passed, a motion she approved of by the way she stretched up to rub her cheeks against my fingers.

Eric was hot on my heels as I padded into the living room. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm just going to get a drink. I can offer you a True Blood if you like but..." I let my voice trail off instead of finishing the statement.

"I will be fine. If I become very hungry I may have to change my mind." Again he was speaking with a hint of an accent I couldn't place. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it properly before. It was obvious that he wasn't American; something about him felt old, centuries old and oddly, European although I can't tell you what makes someone seem European.

I nodded and scurried off into the kitchen to get a mug of hot cocoa and hopefully a snack. "Do you mind if I eat?" I asked, having popped my head back around the door to check. I knew of some vampires that hated anything to do with food while others didn't seem to mind at all. He was standing at the window looking out into the expanse of the black night since I hadn't switched on the security lights. It was amazing to think that he would be able to make things out.

"Not at all," he replied, looking back at me using the window which was showing at least a partial reflection of the room. I had no idea how he could actually see past the glass with it like that and he didn't seem quite vain enough to be staring at his own reflection. It was interesting to know, once and for all, that vampires did have a reflection. So many media outlets portrayed them without having one, saying that it was a sign that vampires didn't possess a soul. I'd never believed that, I could never understand something like being turned into a vampire could make you lose your soul.

"Okay."

When I came back again five minutes later, with a steaming mug in one hand and a plate with sandwich on it in the other, he was sitting on the sofa, looking relaxed yet staring at Tina who was sitting a couple of feet in front of him. Eric's hands were resting, palms up, beside him and although he was slouched down a little his legs weren't extended. A muscle in his thigh twitched.

"Don't you dare kick my cat mister," I warned him, putting as much authority into my voice as I could muster. "I swear if you kick her, I will kick you." I knew I couldn't appear scary to him at all, especially dressed in shorts that were basically hot pants and a fluffy hoody while carrying my supper, but by golly I sure tried. I saw him relax further and he swivelled his head around to take me in. I don't know what he found on my face by whatever it was, it was enough for him to realise I was indeed highly protective of my cat. With a nod I placed my things on the little side table next to the free end of the couch he was sitting on and then climbed on, sitting down crossed legged facing him. A blanket pulled over my legs so I wouldn't get cold and with my snack in my hands once again, I was ready to listen to whatever he had to say, finally.

"Okay," I stated after a couple of seconds of silence during which he'd just continued to stare at me while I took a bite out of my jelly sandwich. Sadly I'd run out of peanut butter.

"You are a most peculiar breather," he started out and it was sudden enough for me to stop, mid chew, to look at him with my eyebrows raised. He didn't say anything further so I swallowed.

"Um, thanks, I think?" How was I supposed to take that statement?

"So you want to know what information I have pertaining to your boss?"

"Yes."

"I will be honest and say that I have no information on him personally. I have not heard from him before you ask." Tina chose that moment to jump smoothly onto the gap between us on the sofa and then carefully curl up in the blanket covered gap between my legs.

"Okay, I trust you." The words were out of my mouth before I could even register what I was saying; it was only after hearing them that I realised I actually did trust him which was strange considering how very dangerous he was. Perhaps that was why he'd had plenty of opportunities to do anything to me and he hadn't. Yes he'd been teasing and tormenting, having fun in his slightly warped way but I hadn't come to any harm at all.

"You may regret that." He offered me a quick grin with a mischievous edge before continuing. "There are new shifters in Shreveport. The Pack has not found them but they are there. True Weres I believe; I have not seen them for myself and the glimpse two of my Vampires got was fleeting at best. They smell...odd. Shifter definitely but the undertones that specify their exact nature was skewed so until they are seen or a fresh scent is picked up, we can only speculate."

"So you think these Weres may have something to do with Sam's disappearance?"

"Well, it seems highly unlikely that Sam goes missing and new shifters turn up in Shreveport and the events remain unconnected."

"That's pretty much what Alcide told me." I muttered, covering my mouth with my hand so that I could speak around the last remnants of food that I had yet to swallow. I didn't think that Eric would be particularly bothered by some minor bad habits when eating food. Tension flooded his body as soon as I mentioned the werewolf's name and his eyes seemed to change colour ever so slightly; they went paler, less the deep dark waters of the ocean and more that of ice over a deep pond.

"What does Alcide mean to you?" He asked quietly, his voice curiously devoid of emotion. Vampires weren't renowned for showing emotions but they didn't usually speak almost monotonously.

"He's a really good friend; I've known him for a few years now." I replied cautiously, unsure about what information he actually wanted with his question that seemed to be loaded.

"And Sam?"

"Sam is one of my oldest true friends; I started working for him when he moved here and our relationship developed over the years. Now I'd consider him my best guy friend and I trust him." I felt a wave of sadness wash over me as I thought of Sam not being here which was then swiftly followed by a panicking worry as I still didn't know what had happened to him.

"Would you like my help in locating your friend?" I searched his face, trying desperately to see if he was telling the truth. I saw no deceit written across his features yet his eyes were still that pale shade of blue that I didn't like as much.

"Yes. What will it cost me?" I wasn't speaking about money although I would have paid him for his help. I had a feeling that supernaturals would be much better suited to finding Sam than the regular police no matter how good they were at their jobs.

"I am not sure yet." His eyes appraised me, they searched my face for something unknown before gazing down my body, what wasn't covered by blanket or cat anyway, before making their way back up to my eyes again. The brilliant blue shade had returned making me feel better and even relieving some of the tension that I hadn't really been aware had built up around us. "Do you want my help?"

"Yes, please." I replied with a deep sigh at the thought of what I could be letting myself in for.

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**So what did you think? Anybody think they know what's happened to Sam? You know I love feedback almost as much as I love a certain Viking vampire. I also discovered a new meaning to 'SVM', in neurology it means special visceral motor, which is a motor nerve that runs to skeletal muscles that develop in branchial arches of the embryo, so the pharynx, larynx and middle ear. **

**Okay, so I'll see you soon and thanks for reading!**


	5. Something in the darkness

**Hello!**

**How are you? I'm good! I've had a hectic few weeks with lambing; 13 hour days, penning, cleaning, tailing, castrating, feeding, carrying, loading my list of sheep related tasks goes on and on. I have been shoulder deep in a sheep several times to help with really difficult lambings. I've turned into a lean, mean, lambing machine! Quite literally actually, it's a fantastic workout. I've lost about 6 pounds and i've got a hell of a lot more muscle too. Ha, it'll all go soon as i don't have access to a gym at the minute. So, here is chapter 5 but i have some bad news; i start my equine placement on monday so I won't be updated for another couple of weeks after this. **

**Oh, on a plus note i got a merit on my march exams. **

**I want to say a huge thank-you to my betas campyrs and Trajedy99. **

**Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries. On with the chapter!**

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"So what am I in for?" I asked, knowing that being blunt would be the best chance of getting an answer out of him.

"That is for me to know, and you," he accentuated the word you with a quirk of his lip that somehow managed to make naughty thoughts cross my mind, "to find out." I stared at him for a second, not reacting to his words and his lack of explanation, until I couldn't take it any longer and simply sighed.

"You're a lot of work to be around, you know that?"

"I may have been told that a time or two. Admit it; you enjoy it." His eyes were sparkling with mischief again.

"Maybe." Was all I said in as non committal a way as I possibly could. I didn't stick around on the sofa long enough for him to say anything else; I gave Tina a little nudge to get her to jump down and then proceeded to get up myself so that I could take my used crockery into the kitchen. I just couldn't be bothered to wash them up. I knew it was lazy and it would probably only make more work scrubbing them in the morning, but I was too tired so I just left them in the sink. When I turned around to return to the lounge I almost spun into a rock solid chest that belonged to a grinning vampire. "Oh!" I gasped out, my hand flying up to the base of my throat where it felt like my heart had now taken up residence.

"I would say I am sorry but I am not. Blushing suits you." His words only worked to increase the redness that stained my cheeks. I never got a chance to say anything to him, I don't think I even got my mouth open to even start forming the telling off I was thinking about because for the second time that night I was caught completely off guard. It seemed I was making a habit of it; well, I guess there are worse things.

My moment of shock wasn't very long lived as I began to kiss him back. I found myself standing up on tiptoes so that I could reach him better and my arms snaked up to circle around his neck so that I wouldn't lose my balance by the severe weakness he was causing in me. He was good. Let's just say he'd used the past few centuries very wisely in my opinion. His lips were soft as they moved with mine and it was me that first ran my tongue across his bottom lip, wanting entrance. He was a way of escape from reality.

I could feel his lips pull up into a slight smile for an instant before his tongue was exploring me as I tried to fight for dominance. It was a losing battle that I was fighting and I couldn't quite bring myself to care; I let myself get swept up in the moment and just let my senses feel. The hard muscles under my hands were impressive as was the firmness of his body as I pressed up against him and the way his hands glided over my back, feeling every curve was tantalising. It was only when my butt hit the cold granite of the counter that I came back down to Earth with a very big bump.

I broke away from him, gasping for oxygen as I began to swat at his chest. "No!" I cried out with exasperation. "God damn it!" I added with my eyes still closed. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks when I finally opened my eyes to find Eric standing just in front of me, barely a hair's breadth between us and he was gazing down at me with a look I could only describe as lust. The brilliant blue of his eyes were darkened with it.

"You said you would behave!" I grumbled at him, knowing full well that there was a definite edge of whininess to my voice. I could still feel the sensation of the kiss lingering on my lips; the way I seemed to be pouting with no effort at all told me that my lips were slightly swollen.

"I never said in which manner I would behave," he replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders that infuriated me although I couldn't yet tell whether I was angry with him, myself or both of us. I was betting on both but I really shouldn't have expected anything better from him, especially after earlier in Sam's office. Myself however, well I should just have had much better self control.

"Gah!" I sighed out, covering my eyes with my hands and rubbing them as though that would suddenly help bring me clarity to the situation so that I would know best what to do next.

"Semantics," I added on and I slapped his chest again, putting as much force behind it as I could in my confined situation. The force made the palm of my hand sting and without looking I knew that it would be glaringly red, and for all the effort Eric would have hardly felt it, or even if he had it wouldn't have been painful.

"You know you are the most annoying person I've ever been around and that includes Amelia when she's got a new crush!" I was back to huffing and shoving on his chest to try and make him take a step back so that I wasn't pressed firmly up against the counter top.

"Are you sure you mean no?" He asked me after a couple of seconds of my ineffectual shoving. My eyes snapped up to his so that I could give him my best glare.

"Yes." His hands instantly went to my hips; pulling me flush to his body again so that I could feel how powerful he really could be. My mind instantly went back to memories of the night we'd spent together and I knew my body was reacting in ways that he would be able to tell. "I'm sure that I don't want this to continue." He gave me a smirking grin and I found myself internally cursing vampiric senses. "Now, back off mister." I gave his chest a final shove and he actually stepped back so that I could escape.

"You have more self control than I anticipated." I shot him a glance back over my shoulder but otherwise ignored the comment.

"Okay, we need to come up with a plan. How are you going to help me, or have you changed your mind?" I walked slowly to stand behind the table so that the large piece of furniture was between us.

"I gave you my word and I take honour in keeping it."

"Okay, well then I repeat we need to come up with a plan. I really want to get to bed within the next hour." I sat down at the table. The adrenaline rush from that kiss seemed to be disappearing quickly and it was leaving me even more fatigued than before. "Alone!" I added as quickly as I could when I realised I probably hadn't been quite specific enough.

"You learn quickly," he chuckled before smoothly pulling out a chair opposite me and relaxing his tall frame down so that he looked perfectly at home in my quaint kitchen. "What did you have in mind?"

"Honestly, I was hoping you could tell me." He just raised his eyebrows in response to my question. "Fine." Apparently he already knew that I tended to have an opinion on most matters. "Something isn't right about Sam's trailer, I don't know what and there's definitely nothing in it." I stopped myself from saying alive, because Sam was not dead and he was fine, it was just that the only thing I could be sure of with my telepathy were things that had firing synapses in their brain. Of course vampires were the exception that proves the rule as I couldn't hear anything going on in their heads but I could always tell where they were. "Would you be able to take a look around? See if you could, um, smell something that's wrong?"

"Oh you have a lot of faith in me," he replied with a little bit of sarcasm dripping from his voice. It was true that I'd put too much question into my thoughts. "I will meet you at the bar tomorrow night, Merlotte's that is, and we will _sniff_ out something."

"Could we do it tonight?" I was ridiculously tired, almost dead on my feet, but if it meant we could help Sam then I'd pull myself up and get back to that bar.

"No." I was shocked by his quick response and I'm sure it showed in my wide eyed expression. "It is much too close to dawn to do any successful snooping. I have to get somewhere safe before dawn truly arrives and that means Shreveport." He got up as quick as a flash, so that his movements were just a blur of vampire, until he was standing behind me. It was his light breath on the back of my neck, even though he didn't actually have to breathe, that told me first where he was. "Good night Sookie." He brushed his lips over that sensitive spot on my neck where he'd bitten me, his marks barely visible, which caused a shiver to ripple down my spine. "I will see you tomorrow night. Sleep well." He remained exactly where he was for another moment, as though he was savouring something or recalling a memory, and then he was gone. I was slightly ashamed to say he'd left me seriously reconsidering my earlier declaration of no to his advances.

Dozing in the late morning sunshine spilling forth through my partially open bedroom curtains was like my beautiful reward for the hours I'd been working the past few days. There was something trying to desperately wiggle its way into my subconscious but I kept batting it down, wanting just a few more minutes in my peaceful rest. I had nowhere that I had to be this morning, well not for at least another three hours. When I'd first woken up I'd taken a peep at the alarm clock before quickly closing my eyes again, I wanted to keep away from reality for as long as possible.

Twenty minutes later I was quickly losing the battle to keep reality at bay when memories began to flood my brain and the responsibilities that the day held returned as well. With a heavy sigh I sat up and dialled the police station, a number I'd quickly memorised, as I padded toward the en-suite bathroom. I'd barely gotten my 'hello' out when Andy told me that they hadn't heard anything and would contact me as soon as they did. After that he pretty much hung up on me, saying a measly parting word without giving me a chance to say anything else. At least I knew there were no new developments that I was out of the loop on. It was all well and good the police telling me they would contact me if anything came up, I just didn't quite trust them enough to let me know soon enough for my liking.

On the way to the bar about an hour later, I'd finally plucked up enough courage to call Terry who had quite happily agreed to stay at the bar to open up for me this morning, I was quite happy about driving to Merlotte's at lunch time. I was thanking God for my hands free kit as I waited for Amelia to pick up her phone.

"Hello?" Amelia answered after several rings and sounding quite flustered.

"Hey Ames, you okay to talk?" This wasn't her usual greeting for me and more often than not she checked her caller ID with at least a glance before answering.

"Sookie! Of course I have time, for you. Let me just..." her voice trailed off quite smoothly until I heard a clattering in the back ground that showed she'd obviously put something heavy down somewhere. I assumed she was working in the store at the local occult store she worked at; well, she worked when she could be bothered. It wasn't a steady job as she tended to be a little flighty, she did however love it and she was a storm with the customers, hence why she was actually allowed to keep coming back. "Okay, what's up? Have you done the dirty with buttlicious again?"

"What? No!" I replied as soon as I realised she wasn't joking.

"You've seen him again though."

"How did you know?" I asked before I realised what I was actually saying.

"Ha, I knew it! Well, not really but thanks for confirming it. So, what's he like?" This would have been a fantastic conversation to have with my best friend at nearly any other time but now, even though I would cringe at her teasing it would be oddly fun.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about," I said slowly, hoping she would understand that I was trying to be serious. I eased my foot off of the accelerator as well so that I could stretch the relatively short drive to work out so that I would have to sit in the parking lot for as short amount of time as possible.

"Okay, this sounds serious, what's going on?" So I told her everything, in as much detail as I could give in a limited time since I pulled into the parking lot at about to the same time I got to the part where Eric first turned up at the bar. "Well, wow. I honestly don't know what to say." That was the first time I'd actually heard her utter those words; Amelia had an opinion on everything and it was one of the reasons I loved her.

"How worried do you think I should be about Sam? I'm beginning to really see that he isn't just going to turn up wondering what all the fuss is about."

"I think you need to get all the hope you can get. There's hope; nothing suggests that you shouldn't believe it will all turn out okay eventually except perhaps the amount of time but as you know, Sam's a lot tougher than her looks. Get that vampire of yours to help you."

"He's not my vampire."

"Yeah, that's what you say now. Give it a couple of months and we'll see if you've changed your mind. Do you want me to come to Bon Temps?" I nibbled down on my bottom lip as I tried to think through the consequences of what she was asking me. Having her here would be fantastic, she was my best friend and she lived hours away so most of the time we had to settle for lengthy phone calls and emails. It would give me another supernatural mind to help me try to figure everything out and I could have a rather long girly chat about a certain vampire whose hands kept running over my body and that wasn't entirely in my head. However, she would be time consuming and I had too many responsibilities as it was. Not to mention that it would be a very generous act of her kindness and I wasn't sure if I could ask her to drop everything for me, again.

"I don't want to ask something so big of you, especially since you haven't been there that long."

"Nonsense, besides I asked if you wanted me there first, I offered."

"I feel kinda bad about it; wouldn't it be a little selfish of me?" I took a glance at the clock on the dashboard and saw that I was already running a few minutes late. I was never late.

"Not at all, you need some support sometimes Sookie. I have other friends in Bon Temps too you know." It was true, she just never visited any of them and she only spoke to them when she bumped into them while she was visiting me. I wouldn't really consider them friends actually, there wasn't enough active in-put for true friendship. "Do you need me there?"

"Give me a few days; if anything has gotten worse or nothing has changed? I'll really need my best girl then."

"Okay, I'll be there. I might even come if everything gets sorted. I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"Okay, well you better get your ass into work. I'm going to guess that you're sitting in your car waiting for work in which you're either a little late for or seriously early." She knew me too well. "Go. And keep me posted!" With that she hung up and I had no excuse to remain in my car so with a heavy sigh I got out to head into Merlotte's.

"Hey Alcide, its Sookie." I felt silly whenever I had to leave a message; my voice always sounded fake and I stumbled over my words no matter how confident I was in what I had to say. "Just wondering if you got any news? I had an, err, interesting visitor yesterday and he's agreed to help us out. Um, he's coming over tonight, well in a couple of hours actually to take a look around the bar to see if there's any clues or something. So, yeah, just give me a call back when you get the chance. Bye." I added on as almost an afterthought before gratefully hanging up the phone. My relief was short lived, however, when I turned around to the bar as I'd stupidly decided to use the phone there, to find one of the regular patrons eyeing me up warily.

"What can I get for you Jane? Want another Jack and coke?" I asked with my bright smile that hid what I was really feeling, plastered across my face.

"No. Wait, yes, please." It seemed like she was already half way to being drunk and I didn't have a doubt that we would be calling her long suffering son to come pick her up again tonight. "Who you talking to?"

"My friend Alcide," I replied with my smile now tight lipped as I tried to restrain the urge to tell her to mind her own business; that wouldn't be polite. She'd obviously been listening in to my conversation and she couldn't even do that correctly apparently since I was sure I'd said his name at the start of the one sided conversation.

"What's happened to Sam?" A wave of mixed emotions rose to cloud my mind, a concoction of anger, worry and general frustration, and the wave caused my shields to slip, opening up her simple mind to me. It was awash with alcohol so that nothing was as straightforward as it should have been and all the complicated things were much simpler in some weird twisted way; to her Sam was a good person and attractive, while I was a weird person, to be avoided as much as possible yet she still resented me purely based on my looks. It was to this person that I had to give a kind response to as I didn't have it in me to mistreat out customers. I had been raised better than that and my poor Gran would turn in her grave if she ever knew I had even entertained the thought of lashing out at her.

"He's gone away for a few days, he needed to relax and he's left me in charge." My shields were once again clamped down as tight as I could manage while still having some mental function but I didn't need it to see that she was appraising me. I apparently didn't meet her qualifications to run Merlotte's if the way she half snorted and stuck her nose in the air was any indication. I simply shook my head at her slightly, so that she wouldn't see, and placed the drink in front of her.

Just over two hours later and approximately eight customers asking me what had happened to Sam I felt the familiar blank, relaxing spot in my mental map of the bar; Eric was here. It was always astounding to me how just having a vampire near could make it so much easier to blot out the other minds around me; it was as though they swamped every mind with their own. I didn't bother waiting for him to sit down at one of the vacant bar stools to put in the bottle of True Blood he wouldn't drink, he needed to keep up appearances, probably more for my sake than his. I had a feeling he really didn't care what people thought of him. It was a startling realisation I had as I waited for the microwave to ping; I was smoothing my hair down and straightening my clothes. I cared what I looked like around him. I quickly shook that thought from my mind and forced my hands to stop their motions.

I sighed deeply, with my eyes closed and pushed everything but counting my breaths out of my mind. My eyes only opened when the microwave pinged. I wasted no time and walked straight out of the back room into the bar where my gaze landed instantly onto the giant of a vampire who sat in the same place as he had yesterday. He had a smirking grin plastered across his face and I knew right then that I was going to have my hands full this evening.

"Diane, I'm taking my break!" I called out when I saw one of the waitresses heading toward me. She nodded with a smile on her face and indicated that she would take over the bar duties if anything was needed. "Okay then, come on." I told Eric who had been following my movements with interest as though he was trying to figure out how my body fitted together and could actually function. It was surprising; he'd been alive for God knows how long so surely he knew pretty much everything about the human body. I mean, it was his primary food source. "And no funny business." I added when we'd reached the quiet hallway that led to pretty much everything that was behind the main bar. I had an inkling that it wouldn't do a bit of good but it did make me feel better. When I glanced over my shoulder at him, the corridor was too narrow to allow us to walk abreast, I found him wearing an innocent look. Or, rather, he was trying to appear innocent. Considering he was well over six feet tall and built like a warrior it was working out very well for him.

"How is your friend?" He asked when we were outside in the parking lot.

"Which one?" I countered back. I honestly wasn't sure whether he was referring to Alcide or Amelia; they were the only other two people that we both knew in some capacity, at least they were the only two I was aware of. I knew some people in Bon Temps had frequented Fangtasia, I'd seen the grisly images in their heads too many times for my liking; however, I was pretty confident none had been with him in any form.

"Amelia; the last time I saw her she was feeling the effects of alcohol and the last time I heard about her you said she had taken on a new conquest." I laughed aloud at his choice of words for Amelia's new beau.

"Well I haven't really heard about him recently although our conversations haven't leaned toward light hearted gossip."

"Did you speak about me?" His eyes flashed with mischief again, staring straight into my own eyes. I held his gaze defiantly; I wouldn't blush.

"Wouldn't you like to know." I gave him a broad grin. He returned the gesture and then turned around to survey the ground around Sam's trailer, including around his truck. "See anything?"

"Give me a minute woman," he half muttered back. In a human it would have been a definite murmur, but with him it sounded like he was just deep in thought and not caring whether I actually heard him or not.

Carefully he stalked toward the car and I saw his nostrils flaring, taking in the breaths that he really didn't need. His eyes were transfixed with the ground, taking in things that I couldn't even imagine. The progress he made was slow and I found myself watching the fluid motion of his every move. It was better than watching Animal Planet. After walking around the truck, having left no trace that he'd been there, he made his way up to the front door of the trailer, moving faster than before.

"Do you have a key?" He asked, raising his voice so that I could hear him since I hadn't moved from my original place near the door to the bar.

"No, I only have keys for the bar." I began to step closer, wondering what he'd noticed that had set the edge to his voice in the question. I was too late. A metallic snapping and clicking filled the air followed quickly by the door swinging open to reveal the devastation that was Sam's trailer.

The main room which encompassed the living area, kitchen and dining room was a complete mess. It was hard to find something that was where it was supposed to be. The sofa, one of the few items the right way up was pushed back against the wall as though it had been shoved roughly. The coffee table was cracked, the magazines and books it usually housed were scattered all over the floor. All the chairs from the table, well the two of them that Sam actually owned, were at the opposite end of the room and one even had two legs snapped off. It was just an utter tip as though it had been ransacked and it hadn't been done by a human. The damage was too extensive; this was done by someone powerful, by a supernatural and I just couldn't bring myself to think that Sam had done this himself.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself under my breath, my eyes still roving over the scene. I didn't even register that I'd moved until my hand was on the closed bedroom door, yanking it open to see if the room behind held any clues. The bedroom was untouched and the scent of Sam, warmth, vanilla and just a hint of comforting animal, hit my nostrils. The only thing that I could actually note was that the comforter on the bed was pushed back as though someone had gotten out in a hurry.

"This is a disaster," I muttered to myself as I carefully folded the duvet back down without knowing why I felt the urge to do so. I wasn't going to clean up the trailer, the police would have to be called, and I didn't want to touch anything else until I knew what had happened here. Could I clean up or should I throw stuff out?

"It smells like Were in here," Eric spoke up, a tone of slight disgust evident in his voice although his expression was as bland as ever when I glanced toward him.

"What happened in here?" I finally left the bedroom after taking one more comforting lung full of the Sam smell and closed the door securely behind me, exactly as I'd found it.

"Some form of fight. I smell precisely three people; Sam, a female Were and you."

"Thanks," I replied, trying to ease the tension that was beginning to swarm my body with some sarcasm though I already knew what he meant.

"You've been here a lot; your scent is ingrained in here." He took a deep breath and his eyes flashed toward mine. He began to move toward me, almost as though he was stalking his prey. I wasn't even conscious that I'd been moving, my eyes had been trained purely on his dark blue orbs, until my back hit the wall of the trailer with a soft thud.

"Eric," I cautioned, trying to snap him out of it while still trying to hold onto my calm. Panic would only exacerbate the situation further; vampires were predators they could smell fear and they loved it. "What are you doing?" I tried to infuse some confidence into my voice, confidence I wasn't really feeling as he continued to edge toward me until he was only a few inches away.

"What is your relationship with Sam?" He asked; his voice dangerously low, as he leaned in further until all that I could see was his face.

"We're friends," I replied with my fake work smile plastered across my face. I ignored my racing heart; it wouldn't do much good here. My body was designed for fight or flight and against a vampire, neither were particularly effective, especially at such close proximity so I had to keep hold of my mental faculties.

He leaned in slightly further, to the point where I thought he was going to kiss me again. "You have had sex with him." It could have been a question but it really wasn't.

"Yes," I said honestly and with that simple word in response he backed away, the tension that had bathed the room ebbed away, letting me breathe freely.

"What was that all about?" I asked as soon as I'd gathered all of my thoughts together. There was a note of defiance in my voice that surprised me.

"Getting an honest answer."

"Just asking me would have gotten you that!" I snapped back. "Is there anything else you can tell me from this?" I waved my arms to indicate that I meant the trailer. I needed to get out of the situation before I did something I regretted.

"No," he replied quietly, staring back at me intently with an expression that said he was deep in thought.

"Fine, then let yourself out and if you ever want to know anything again just ask! Don't scare it out of me, don't beat it out of me and don't play games with me. Now, I am going and I will see you later." I finished with a humph and walked briskly from the trailer. I managed to refrain from slamming the door like a teenager having a tantrum, something which I later patted myself on the back for, and I didn't break into a run at all although I definitely felt like doing so.

I half expected Eric to follow behind me straight back into the bar; it just seemed like something he would do just to annoy me, by doing the opposite of what I had said. I knew I should have been a bigger person and stayed with him outside because I knew there were more places to check to see if anything had happened. I was just unnerved that he had been able extract such a response from me. Internally I used the defence that I had to call Andy and let him know about the mess that the trailer had been in because it was obvious there had been some form of a struggle. Although there had apparently been no traces of blood, this I was just assuming by Eric not mentioning anything. After a quick call to the police station, who said an officer would be dispatched to take a look around and assess the situation, I got back to work.

When there was only myself and the waitress that had the closing shift left, I began to feel like something was amiss; there was a niggling thought at the back of my mind that I couldn't quite put my finger on, I only knew that it was unnerving me. Eric had never reappeared however, he also hadn't called so I was taking it as a good sign that nothing else had been found disturbed. The police officer, Kenya, had shown up only about half an hour after my call. She had taken one look at the mess in the trailer and had told me not to touch anything else as whoever was on morning duty would be by to check it out properly in the harsh light of day. I couldn't believe they hadn't thought to go into Sam's place before now, I guess with this being a small town they didn't think anything would actually be wrong and he would turn up on his own.

"You okay Sookie? You seem to be off in your own little world there," Diane noticed as she threw her used apron into the linen basket before scrubbing her hands clean of the evening's grime.

"Yeah, just thinking, something is bothering me." I was sat on the bar stool behind the bar counting the change in the tips jar so I could put it away in the safe. I'd already had to restart twice and I was heading toward a third.

"Anything to do with that vampire that came in tonight?"

"Not really, he's annoying as hell but I kinda brought that all on myself." I finally gave up and tossed all the coins back into the bowl for recounting; at least the dollar bills were easy to keep track of, mainly because I'd jotted the total down already.

"I don't think I want to know," she laughed and I couldn't help but join in with her.

"No, you probably don't. I really can't think what it is that is probably more annoying than the original thing, as silly as that sounds." I shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my head; I still had a couple more tasks to do after this one and it would go much faster if I wasn't preoccupied. "You can go if you've finished all your jobs." She nodded that she'd finished and we said quick goodbyes. "Stay safe!" I called out after her, just as she was disappearing around the corner.

Somehow I managed to get the bar cleaned up and the extra cash put in the safe in record time. I was beginning to feel jumpy with nerves being on my own in the bar. It had never really bothered me before; I'd done it too many times to count so I'd almost been habituated to the situation. Tonight was different for some reason. So it was with haste that I grabbed my keys just after midnight.

The parking lot was deserted with only two cars in sight; mine and Sam's truck, even the customer parking lot was completely empty. The gravel crunched loudly under my feet with every step seeming to echo in the quiet night. I'd almost reached my car before I realised something was wrong; the night was too quiet. There were no scurrying critters or comforting chirps from crickets in the long grass. There was nothing.

My fingers gripped my keys even tighter until I could feel the cold metal biting into my flesh and I still didn't relinquish my grip, it was the only defence I had against whatever was out there. Because there was something out there I just didn't know what. I closed the gap between myself and the car quickly, in long strides and I wasted no time in sliding inside the car to shut the door soundly behind me, locking it straight away.

"Calm down Sookie, you're over reacting," I whispered to myself even though I knew it was better to over react in this sort of situation. It was better to be safe rather than sorry and I could always look back on this evening with laughter if it turned out to be nothing.

I knew it wasn't nothing however. My telepathy told me that much. On my own, inside the car with the doors locked, I allowed my mind to relax a little, letting the tendril edges of my other sense out into the expanse of night. Right there on the peripheral of my reach was something. A mind I couldn't read; couldn't quite picture and definitely couldn't identify. All I could tell was that it was supernatural and angry. I had the unsettling feeling that that anger was directed at me.

"Shit, shit, shit," I repeated under my breath as I slung the gear shift into drive and pulled out of the parking lot as fast as I could. I glanced in my rear view mirror only once but found that I couldn't see anything apart from black; there could have been anything back there just a few feet away. At least I knew what had been bothering me, I thought as I hurtled down the lane leading toward hummingbird road. I'd been feeling the barest hint of this creature waiting outside of the bar.

I didn't slow down and my heart continued to beat erratically until I reached the turning for my driveway. I couldn't feel anything with my telepathy anymore which should have relaxed me, the only awake brain for miles around was my own. Up ahead I could see my little house bathed in the glow from the security lights like a beacon of refuge. I edged the car forward, until I was finally close enough to the house to the park. Normally I would have parked around the back but tonight I was at the front so that I could get closer to the door.

Taking in a deep breath I grabbed my purse, pulled my keys from the ignition and sprinted for the front door. My senses were hyper aware of everything going on around me; the security lights casting deep shadows across the porch where their light couldn't quite reach, the odd feeling of Tina's little mind as she slept snugly on my bed and the encompassing silence that my house was shrouded in. The key slid into the lock with a loud clunk and I was inside within two seconds, the door slammed shut behind me. I threw the standard lock into place before sliding the deadbolt home and slipping on the safety chain as well just for good measure. It was just as I was slumping down to the floor, my back pressed against the door in relief that I began to scan the area again.

I was still alone in my home, there was nothing around apart from Tina yet outside had been silent, the way the night only goes when there is a predator lurking in the shadows. My bottom hadn't even hit the floor before I was standing up again to check that the back door was securely locked. It was, like it always was, but I could see through the peep hole peep hole that the porch door was open. I knew I was alone, as far as my telepathy was telling me which was quite a good distance but I still couldn't bring myself to go out there to lock it. It wouldn't do me much good anyway. If I was being honest, locking myself in my house wouldn't do that much good against a supernatural creature either; a vampire wouldn't be able to enter without an invitation even if the door was wide open and it was unlikely that a bit of wood would keep any form of shifter out. Of course there were other sorts of supernaturals out there, undoubtedly ones I hadn't even heard of, but vampires and shifters were the most numerous. That was also what I'd picked up from the mind I'd felt either, shifter. I didn't know what sort, I'd never felt anything quite like it before, but it was a shifter.

"Just breathe Sookie," I whispered as I stepped back from the door to rush into the kitchen to make sure the windows were locked in there and then to draw the curtains so that nothing could see inside. And so it went on, I went from room to room, my heart beating progressively louder as I began to panic, making sure that every window was locked and that all the curtains or blinds were closed. I even went upstairs into the part of the house that I hadn't been in since Amelia had left. That was where she lived, it would forever remain Ames' quarters but I had to check.

It was only when all my tasks had been finished that I slumped down on the sofa in the living room, my purse clutched in my hands that I began to work on calming myself down. I counted every breath, in through the nose and out through my mouth. Slowly I felt my breaths coming easier and more evenly, not taking quite so much concentration for them to be almost normal. Of course, it was at that point that I felt it again, once more right on the limits of my powers. Standing at the bottom of the driveway was the creature.

"Tina!" I called as loudly as I dared. I never opened my eyes. I almost felt like a child again playing peek-a-boo; if I couldn't see the monster in the night then I couldn't be found. It was absurd and I felt stupid while I was doing it, yet it helped keep the panic from consuming my body. Tina's fluffy little body jumped up onto the sofa next to me and I felt her warmth seeping through the thin trousers that I was wearing. I reached out with my left hand to stroke behind her ears, the soft fur comforting me even more so than her. It was with my right hand that I was doing the important thing though; I was getting help.

"Come on," I half whimpered as I brought the phone up to my ear and listened to it ring. "Pick up," I muttered after the next ring sounded with still no answer. I began to worry at my lip, biting down until I tasted the metallic tang of blood on my tongue and even then I didn't stop. "Please!" I pleaded as the computerised woman's voice told me that I'd reached the answer phone.

"Breathe," I reminded myself quietly as I waited for the woman to reach the end of her speech so that I could leave a desperate message. "Help me, please..." I had no sooner said that last word than I felt the mind at the end of the drive getting closer. It was prowling forward, toward me and help wasn't on its way.

I stopped stroking Tina and hung up the phone at the same time. My eyes finally opened to reveal a confused looking cat staring up at me with her beautiful green eyes. I offered her a little smile and a nod; I wasn't even kidding myself that I was trying to reassure her with those motions.

Next I slipped my cell phone into my pocket and got up from the sofa. The curtains were drawn so I couldn't see outside even if I wanted to, which I really didn't. I wasn't stupid, some people may even call me paranoid but I kept something for general defence in every room. It was something that Sam had told me about when I'd discovered about all the common races of supernatural. I had lemon cleaning products stored in random places for defence against fairies, I always wore one item of silver jewellery and in the living room I also kept a selection of iron fire place tools. Iron would only seriously injure fairies but being stabbed with a poker wouldn't exactly be healthy for anything.

I grabbed the poker from the hearth in my left hand and then moved back to the sofa, pushing it sideways to cover the door. It took all my strength to push the heavy object the five feet so that it would block the entrance way and the entire time my cat watched me from her comfortable perch with an expression that read, as clear as day, 'what the hell are you doing'. I didn't focus on that; I concentrated on heaving the sofa into place until it was flush with the wall. From there I switched out the light and hunkered down on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest.

What I had done wouldn't save me if something wanted into my house but it would buy me some time to think of something, anything else apart from to sit here like a waiting target. It would take some serious effort to get past the make-shift barricade and the window wasn't really accessible from outside as it was on the one wall of the house that the porch didn't touch, meaning that it was high up off the ground. You would have to be seriously tall to even see in, never mind climb through it.

The creature stalked forward with a steady pace, almost as though it was just walking casually toward me. I couldn't understand anything coming from it, all I could feel was the anger. I had been right in my assumption; it was a shifter, and even more specifically it was in animal form. I just had no idea what that form happened to be.

I could imagine dagger like teeth dripping with saliva and possible even blood from the previous victim. Yellow eyes of evil that took in far too much detail and ears relaxed, not bothering to really listen out for anything because what was the need? It was at the top of the food chain and its prey was holed up inside a building with no apparent means of escape that couldn't be picked up by the eyes. It was wrong of me to assume, but I pictured a great big wolf, like Alcide turned into every full moon. They were the creatures that held the most fear for me, not even the less inbred jaguars of Hot Shot had more strength and power than the true Weres. This didn't feel like the werewolves though and yet I still imagined it as one.

No plans came forth in my head; I couldn't run into the woods because that was suicide, I was already pretty much in the safest room of the house, my telepathy didn't come with any defensive powers at all and driving away in my car was out of the question now as well; the creature was too close. So, with nothing else to do, I called someone else for help I desperately needed.

"Please pick up," I whimpered as quietly as I could. I didn't dare speak any louder; I had no idea what the senses of this monster were actually like and I wanted to remain hidden, if I was even hidden in the first place, for as long as possible. "Come on!"

* * *

**So what did you think? I am sorry to have to leave it there though, especially as i'm not sure when exactly i'll next get to update. Even i think that's a bit of a cliffie. Who do you think will come to Sook's rescue? You know i love feedback almost as much as i love a certain viking vampire. **

**Until next time, thank-you for reading and have a good week!  
**


	6. Save me

**Hello!**

**How have you been? I'm back properly now :) My animal husbandy placements are over until summer now. In fact it's back to London this weekend. Working at the stables was awesome; learnt how to lunge horses properly, went riding, assisted on a standing castration, saw EMRT and practiced taking off shoes when the farrier was down there. **

**Did you guys watch the Royal wedding today? I did because I was at my aunt's house and she remembers both Queen Elizabeths coronation and her wedding. It might be a bit of a surprise to you guys but i'm not really into weddings, actually i usually get fed up with sappy romance stuff which is a bit weird considering i can write a little of that stuff. I particularly don't like the colour white, i'm much more comfortable in black and i've always said if i ever get married it would be a black dress. Do any of you feel like that? **

**Who is excited about the new Sookie book that's coming out? It comes out here on tuesday, i guess some of you may already have it? I just got into the House of Night books, definitely aimed at younger readers but good for some light reading. **

**You have my amazing betas to thank for this chapter. I had this chapter originaly at about 3,500 words which they beta'd and then i sent them my additions. Both of these wonderful ladies got it back to me within a couple of hours so you have this chapter tonight. So, a really big thank-you to campyrs and Trajedy99. **

**So, Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries and on with the chapter!**

* * *

"Hello," a deep voice answered the phone after several rings. By this point my heart was beating so loudly it was resonating in my ears, making it difficult to actually hear what was coming over the phone.

"Help me," I whispered into the receiver, not daring to say anything any louder as I could feel the creature padding silently around the house, taking everything in and assessing the weakest points.

"Sookie, you need to tell me what is going on." It didn't go unnoticed that he hadn't said that he would help me.

"There's something outside, it's after me." Tina jumped down from the sofa and curled up around my ankles. My hand absentmindedly reached down to stroke behind her ears which revealed the hair standing up at the back of her neck in defence. She knew something was drastically wrong.

"Where are you?" He sounded more intense now, as though it was vital that I gave him the information he desperately wanted to know.

I couldn't respond as I heard a noise that made my heart drop into my stomach; something heavy landed on the porch near the front door. The thing had jumped up, taking all five steps in an easy bound that put him only a couple of feet from the front door. I couldn't see it, I couldn't even read it properly but I knew it was standing there with its head cocked to the side, staring at the handle. It was literally only a couple of meters away from where I was knelt, huddled up on the ground and it knew exactly where I was.

"My house," I whimpered and I gripped the fire poker even tighter, giving up stroking Tina even though it gave me comfort. I didn't get a response from the other end of the phone except for the tone that signalled the other person had hung up.

I clutched my cell phone to my chest tightly and counted my breaths slowly; attempting to keep the panic I was feeling from reaching an uncontrollable level. There was no one else left that I could call. No human would be any good in a situation like this; I would be just bringing them into danger and dying wasn't the only risk that a shifter posed to them.

Tina hissed loudly, staring towards where the front door was, even though there was a wall in between. I could barely make out the gleaming outline of her white teeth in the darkness and the way her cute face scrunched up in anger at her home being invaded. The next instant there was a loud crash, followed by the distinct splintering of wood as the creature launched itself at the door. A terrified, silent sob wracked my body as I cringed backward away from the noise. If the creature got into the house I would stand up to defend myself, until that moment I was going to remain hiding.

I had no way of knowing if my rescuer would make it in time as I had no idea where he had been when he answered the phone. I could only pray that I would be able to hold the rage laden creature at bay until someone strong enough to really do damage arrived. Another thud as a large body collided with my house. I wasn't prepared at all for the next noise that ripped through the night air. A howl of evil, that sent a stream of goosebumps covering my skin, was let loose and I found myself shrinking back even further to get away from the noise.

Just as the ear splitting howl stopped, I became aware of something on the edges of my telepathy and this time, it actually signalled something good. The hope that fluttered through my heart was fleeting.

"Hello little one," growled a voice just on the other side of the door. I'd concentrated on the vampire brain, the person that was going to rescue me, for a second too long. The creature had made its way into my home, crossing the boundary into my personal space which made it all the more frightening. Evil was perpetrating my peace.

Tina continued to hiss, silently, in the direction of the door while I gripped my make-shift weapons as tightly as I could. My fingers wrapped around the metal handle so much that my finger nails were digging viciously into my palms. I could feel the blank spot racing towards us at inhuman speed and I still wasn't sure it was going to be enough. So with all of my might, I heaved myself to my feet, still plastered against the wall.

Keeping my eyes shut I forced my voice out strong and purposeful. "Leave me alone! Get out!" I surprised myself. Terror still had me in its grip but my voice was simply filled with a boiling rage that put force behind my words.

Deep, throaty laughter instantly met my ears and it made me cringe back further into the wall. "I can smell your fear," he continued to laugh and then his words were cut off. I got a glimpse of his brain, full of things worse than nightmares but tinged with a shade of his own fear before it snapped back into the unreadable frame of the creature. The unmistakable sound of sharp claws on wood, a thud as a leaping stride landed on the back porch and then there was a growling voice outside my door.

"Sookie?" Pure relief flooded my body and I couldn't help the sob that worked its way through my chest. I dropped the weapons to the floor with a clatter, somehow knowing that I wouldn't need them and that I could trust this man.

"Yeah," I called out. My voice sounded weak now that I didn't have to put on a false front of bravery. I began to work on moving the sofa back from the door, trying not to disturb Tina who was padding in small circles, her fur still standing on end.

"Stand back," Eric called out a second later and I scrambled back from the door, unsure as to what exactly he was going to do. My cat followed me, changing her pattern to weaving in between my legs as though she was reassuring herself that I was still there, unharmed.

The first clue that something was happening was the creaking groan of the wood of the door and then the sofa began to move back. Of course it scratched the floor, but I just couldn't bring myself to care. I stayed back all the way, watching the progression of the gap between the door and the wall.

It was one of the best sights in the world when I saw the Vampire ease around the door and step into my little living room. With him around I knew nothing else would be able to get to me. He was the big bad.

His long blond hair was windswept with the speed at which he'd been running to get to me. The bright blue eyes that showed his intelligence were almost hidden by his dilated pupils as he took in every little detail available.

In a move that surprised both of us, I flung myself forward into his chest. One of my arms wrapped tightly around his waist, keeping me firmly attached to him while my other curled up against him, gripping the soft cotton of his shirt. He was a solid wall of muscle beneath me, I could feel the tension in him, yet after a moment of composure he slowly wound his arms around my waist in return. His grip remained soft, reassuring, even though I could feel the strength he possessed.

"It's gone?" I asked after a moment of just standing there and listening to my own breathing. His chest was completely silent; no heartbeat and no breaths.

"Yes." Of course it was; if he had been able to get his hands on it I wouldn't be standing in his arms right now. "It transformed back before I could see his human face and it ran before I could catch him. Coward." He spat the final word like the curse it was intended to be.

"What was it?" Behind my closed eyelids I could see a hulking creature with yellow eyes.

"A hybrid; some form of cross between a Were and another Shifter. I think. I have its smell now; I will be able to find it again. It's the same breed as the things that were in the trailer."

"I'm sorry." I whispered into his shirt.

"I can smell your fear." He whispered and I heard him take a deep breath as though he was savouring the scent. If I hadn't already been scared by much worse things it would have freaked me out. "I smell blood. Are you hurt?" I drew back enough from his chest to gaze up at him so that he could see my blank expression.

"The creature didn't get in here, you were in time. I can't be hurt." Adrenaline was still coursing through my veins so I wasn't really aware of all that much. My legs felt fine even though they must surely be cramping up from being stooped so long as I crouched so I knew any pain I felt was being masked. I shrugged my shoulders, not feeling anything that would help. Relief was still my most overwhelming feeling.

With large, gentle hands he pushed me back from his chest so that I was standing in front of him. Starting with the top of my head he let his eyes roam over me slowly, looking for what was wrong. One hand was brought up to my neck so that his fingers could trace over the barely there scar from when he'd first taken my blood before continuing down, pulling out my arm to inspect it. My milky skin was unmarred until he got down to my wrist where he turned my hand over to check my palms. There sat four perfect crests filled with blood from where my nails had bitten into my flesh as I'd gripped my makeshift weapons.

"You are bleeding," he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath as his gaze lingered on the little marks in my palm. The blood was glistening in the dim lighting, making it look like I had tiny black puddles there. At least it wasn't crimson.

Slowly, giving me time to think it through, he changed his grasp on my wrist slightly so that he could trace circles there with his thumb he brought my hand up to his mouth. He bowed his head, bringing his lips down to gently kiss my skin in a motion so tender I wouldn't have believed it otherwise. His gorgeous eyes were closed lightly so that he could, apparently, relish the taste. A deep sigh left my lips as his tongue flicked out to lick up the last traces of the already congealed wounds. An inadvertent shiver ran over my body.

"Sookie," he breathed against my skin. I was pulled back into his chest then, my back to him with his arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly. His muscles were tense and I felt utterly safe wound up in him, as though nothing could get me. He brought my other hand up to his mouth and began to lick off the traces of my blood. I relaxed against him, just revelling in the sensation after the sheer terror of the past hour, with closed eyes and another sigh.

* * *

I was perfectly warm and content. The quilt was pulled up snugly around my neck and I was tucked up slightly, as comfortable as I could be. The body underneath mine was cool, keeping me at a perfect temperature, while providing the safest pillow I would ever find. My face was pressed into his cool hardness, my hand just below my chin. I didn't want to move because I knew that somewhere outside of the walls of my bedroom the big bad was lurking, and it knew who I was.

"Hmm," I sighed softly and if it hadn't been for the slight chuckling I would have happily gone back to sleep without opening my eyes at all. It was the chuckle that sent everything into focus for me; the cool body underneath mine that shouldn't have been there, the lack of clothes and the relaxed state that only comes after relief. My eyes snapped open and I sat bolt upright in my bed.

Light was streaming in from the bathroom, casting enough light to see by and it clearly lit up his grinning face as he lounged back in my bed with his arms folded behind his head. His expression was entirely too smug for my liking. His bare chest however, definitely was to my liking. I was definitely feeling much better after last night.

"I told you to leave last night," I said as I slumped back down, already resigned, into the position I'd been in when I'd woken up. Just to emphasise my words though I gave his chest a swift slap that was more to make me feel better than to actually hurt him.

"Yes you did."

"You didn't leave." Apparently my brain was still a little fogged over with sleep. I was actually still putting all the memories together in my mind, mainly so I could figure out exactly how we'd ended up in bed in such a state of undress.

"No, I did not leave." He didn't make any movement at all apart from the slight quivering that told me he was still laughing quietly to himself; at least I was a source of amusement.

"What time is it?" I wouldn't admit it but I was entirely too comfortable, so much so that I didn't want to ruin it by moving to look at my alarm clock. I could however, still pretend to be annoyed with him.

"Just after 5 in the morning." So I'd had a little less than four hours sleep and we had roughly an hour before sunrise. At least I knew what had happened last night; I hadn't fallen asleep with him in bed, I'd most definitely been alone at that point, so he'd climbed in sometime in the past few hours.

"So when did you join me?" I glanced up at him to find his gorgeous blue eyes staring back down at me.

"Just after you had fallen asleep you began to whimper. Tina finally got fed up with you so I decided to take her place. I seemed to do much better than the cat." He seemed rather pleased with the fact that he could comfort me, while I was unconscious, better than my cat.

"There really isn't any point in me telling you to get out is there?"

"None at all." Well, at least he was honest.

"I really am sorry you know." I told him again after a couple of minutes of silence had passed between us.

That was essentially when he'd left the house last night. I'd apologised for what he'd smelt in Sam's trailer; I honestly hadn't known that the scent would linger for so long, and he'd become even more tense than he already was. Sensing the need to change the subject I said a very sincere thank-you for rescuing me. To cut an awkward bit of conversation short I'd decided to go to bed unaccompanied and he'd gone off to see if he could track the creature down by its scent trail. I'd only half expected him to come back.

"Well, it seems it was a good thing that you already had my word that I would help you. You were in rather a spot of bother."

"Thanks for helping me. Where were you?"

"I went over to the old Compton place to see if there was anything lurking around there. The shifter scent was faint but they had been there. I was just following scents through the woods when you called." I nodded slightly, my head still resting on his chest. I was trying to not open my eyes because I had a bad feeling that if I did I would be having a hard time keeping my gaze from his impressive muscles. It was already bad enough that I was now awake enough to realise the extent of the clothing situation. I was only in my panties and a tank top, having being to on edge and exhausted to get changed into pyjamas properly. Eric, however, seemed to be completely naked and enjoying the current situation very much.

"I have another question." I waited for his 'mm' before I continued. "Why are you naked?"

"I love to be naked." He started out and when I simply glared up at him he continued. "You were comfy, the bed looked comfy and clothes are not comfy." He shrugged his shoulders, thinking that was all the explanation he needed.

"You are insufferable," I sighed out in exasperation.

"Then you, Sookie, are most definitely a masochist." He grinned down at me, his fangs showing and the next thing I knew I was lying flat on my back with my hands pinned down on the mattress at either side of my head. His face was only a couple of inches above me so that all I could see was him with his beautiful eyes.

My breath was coming in small gasps while my heart thumped loudly. The toothy grin on his face told me that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. "Something wrong?" He whispered, leaning in ever so slightly more, causing my breath to catch in my throat. I couldn't respond to him, all I could do was continue to stare up at him. We both knew that he had me; the question was more what he would choose to do with me.

With one last glimpse of his smirk, my eyes automatically closed as his lips came down on me. He was soft, almost tender, at first. I melted into the mattress as I relaxed into him, simply allowing myself to be held down by my hands which were now more above my head. His long, lean, naked body was pressed up against me and I revelled in the feel of his cool flesh against my heated body. Our tongues met deliciously and I was enjoying it way too much to care about the shameful moan that vibrated through me.

Breaking away in a gasp for air my eyes sprang open to stare up at him. His pupils were still dilated and his gaze was on my lips that I'm sure were already swollen. I leaned up as much as I could with my hands still pinned to reach his smiling lips.

"Meow!" Tina cried from about a foot away from my head which sent me flinching back in fear. My body fell back against the mattress and I shrank away from the noise, pressing myself more closely into Eric.

"Shit!"I exclaimed as my frazzled brain realised that it was simply my annoyed cat. I had no idea where she had actually come from but her timing was impeccable. I had yet to decide whether it was good or bad.

"Fucking cat," growled Eric as his gaze squinted over at my little fluff ball of a pet.

"Don't touch the cat." Tina opened her mouth to let out another pitifully loud call before curling up, a disgruntled expression on her adorable face, on the pillow. I guess I knew where she'd been sleeping before we'd awoken her.

After a couple of seconds of not moving, both of us staring at the already apparently slumbering cat Eric spoke up, "I have to go." A nod of my head was my only response; I was still trying to regain control of my breathing and speaking wouldn't have helped that endeavour at all.

He gracefully moved from his position and swept out of the bed so that he could dress. Buttalicious was definitely the right word for him. "Like what you see?" He wasn't even looking towards me.

"How did you know?" I leaned up on my elbows so that I could see him better. By this point he'd already donned his jeans and boots, although he'd now turned around to speak to me with his shirt held in his hands so that I could get the full view of his chiselled chest.

"I did not know, but you just gave me the answer I was wanting." His grin broadened, showing of f the fangs that still hadn't retracted from when I'd first noticed them.

"Urgh, Vampires," I sighed and collapsed back against the bed again. With my eyes closed I could just imagine his chest, and his butt for that matter, without being called on about it.

I didn't even know he'd moved until he was kissing me again. I'd barely responded to the deep kiss that sent energy vibrating through my body when he pulled away again. "I will be seeing you soon." There was just something about the way he said it that made the simple sentence sound more than mildly suggestive. By the time I shouted out my response he was gone.

"Well Tina, it's just you and me little girl." When I glanced over at her, one beady little eye looking back at me I knew I might as well be completely alone. At least the sun would be rising soon which would hopefully make everything seem better. With the exhaustion of the last few hours, never mind the last few days, beating down on me I closed my eyes and entered into a fit full sleep.

* * *

Delegation. It's a wonderful skill to master and I made full use of it the following day. Terry was opening up the bar for myself and the waitress that was on the early shift. A quick awake spell at around nine in the morning allowed me plenty of time to arrange the lunch time staff to cover the little bit of bar work that would be needed. The evening shift, well, I just called in another waitress who wouldn't mind doing my stuff which officially gave me a complete day off and several more hours to get some rest.

I finally woke up properly just after lunch time to find myself curled around Tina who herself was curled up in a tight little ball near my stomach. She was awake, her all seeing eyes staring up at me while her fluffy ears were pricked for any noise that shouldn't be there. It seemed last night was still upsetting her.

"Morning pretty girl," I cooed as I gave her a scratch behind the ears and under her chin which caused her to purr loudly. "See, everything is light. We all know the bad things prefer the night time. Come on then." And that, would be the best part of the day, if only I'd known how full of tension it would become I might have just stayed in bed. At least there my sheets still smelled a little like Eric.

By the time dusk was falling I was getting antsy and that would be an understatement. I didn't really think that the creature, I was still calling it that even though I knew it was some form of Shifter, would come back for me, especially so soon, as I think last night had just been intended to scare me. Although they had definitely succeeded on that front it also meant that I was doing something to upset them and that could only mean I was onto something with Sam's disappearance. So, even though I didn't leave the house all day, I wasn't idle.

Several conversations with Andy at the police station confirmed that some cops had been over to Sam's trailer to check it out and that nothing else had been heard about Sam. Alcide was still not answering his phone. The only reason I wasn't freaking out about him was that two of his work colleagues had told me that he was in an important meeting this morning and then he was going to speak with some of the pack elders about some odd events that had occurred. It could be very handy being a friend of the pack. I also managed to get all of my housework done. In doing so I noticed that checking out the scent trails after I'd gone to bed wasn't all that Eric had done; he'd boarded up the front door which the creature had broken down and the back window it had broken when it escaped.

"Sookie!" The voice yelling from the porch caught me completely by surprise. A quick glance at the clock told me that dusk was falling and that it would be full dark too soon for my liking.

"Yeah?" I called out. I dropped my shields quickly, sending out tendrils of my power to check that it was who I thought. The gentle waves of a friendly shifter brain washed over me and I sighed in relief that Alcide was here, alone. "On my way," I added as I scampered toward the front door that wasn't at all functional.

"What's going on here?" Alcide asked, his voice slightly muffled by the thick wood yet I could still here the concern filtering through. My shields were safely clamped down again, although with Alcide I could be somewhat relaxed as his supernatural self offered some protection to me naturally.

"You'll have to go round the back," I said clearly as I peeked through the small windows that wrapped around my front door. His hulking figure took up most of what I could see with all of his tall and dark beauty. Blue eyes glanced at me quizzically before he nodded and walked swiftly down the stairs to wrap around to the back. He really was handsome in a very rugged way that I used to love. Now, I had no desire for him yet I loved him as a close friend. I was deeply glad that we had passed through the awkward stages after our relationship.

"Okay, Sookie you better tell me quick what the hell happened here," were the first words he said to me as he pulled me into a bone crushing hug as soon as he was through the back door. His familiar scent, so earthy with a hint of wood and of course the tinge of dog underneath, was welcome and I let myself be relaxed by him.

"Well, it started last night," I began as I stepped into the kitchen to fix us both a drink. I never should have bothered as he ruined the mug as I told him the news. And that was the censored version. I'd easily left out most of the details about Eric, especially him staying the night.

"Why didn't you call me?" He was pacing the length of the kitchen repeatedly by this point as I just watched him go back and forth. I was fed up with feeling scared so I was desperately clinging to any other emotion, at the moment I was going for annoyance.

"I did," I pointed out. That had been a little bit of a focus point in the story. I knew he wouldn't be happy that it had been Eric that had rescued me so I was going for the angle that it was him that I'd thought of first.

"I know." A dark cloud swept over his eyes and he didn't meet my gaze for a few seconds. Suspicions rose in me as to his antics last night; there was something going on that he wasn't comfortable with telling me. "I meant calling me again. I could have had this sorted out by now, I could have done something!"

"It's okay. I was safe with Eric here and that thing wasn't coming back anyway, it only meant to scare me."

"Safe? You weren't safe, there was a god damn Vampire in your house!"

"And I suppose I'm safe with a Werewolf in my house?" My hand clamped down over my mouth as soon as the words had tumbled from my mouth. I didn't get a chance to apologise straight away as I fully intended to do as my cell phone rang, making me squeak and jump out of my seat.

With my heart still beating loudly in my chest I stood up to grab my cell phone from where it rested on the counter top by the kettle. Alcide kept close to me, his posture having changed to less defensive. His hand was hovering as though he was debating whether he should be comforting me. I couldn't decide whether I wanted his touch or not.

"Hello?" I answered tentatively, having not recognised the number flashing on the screen.

"Ah Sookie, my lover." My eyes darted to my side to see if Alcide could hear what was being said. His eyes were still clouded over although he wasn't looking in my direction. I could only hope that he was deep in thought, so not listening in.

"Yes? Wait, um, how did you get this number?"

"You seem to underestimate me. I am a self confessed sly and sneaky bastard." I could hear him chuckling down the phone and I couldn't help but suppress a slight smile at his oddly jovial tone.

"Okay, so what do you want?"

"Get ready; I am taking you out this evening. Dress up. I will be there in five minutes." With that he hung up with no further explanation which left me holding my phone up to my ear wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Who was that?" Alcide asked as he came up from his thoughts.

"Eric." I answered simply and stepped nimbly out of his reach.

"What does he want?" He spat the words and I could almost feel the testosterone level in the room rising. Oh, this was going to be interesting.

"He's coming over in a few minutes. I don't know why he hung up before I could answer."

"This is so typical of Vampires. Expecting everyone else to do everything they say at the drop of a hat. You know you don't have to go. I can tell him no. You are under the protection of the pack, he has no real say." Throughout his little rant he was gesticulating wildly and I knew then that what I said next would not go down well.

"I want to go." The shock that played over his face was astounding; his eyes widened before blazing with an emotion I couldn't understand and his nostrils flared.

"What?" He asked with a gasp. I kept silent, hoping it was the best thing to do. "You want to go with the blood sucker? Are you a fang banger now?" It was my turn for rage to surge through me and before I knew what I was doing my hand was flying through the air. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh seemed to echo through our stunned silence before I even felt the sting of the impact.

"Get out," I whispered as I cradled my hand to my chest. My eyes were resting, with unshed tears in them, on the bright red mark that adorned his stubble covered cheek. "Please." I almost whimpered and then, with impeccable timing the back door opened.

"You really should lock that door." Eric stated as he stepped, without bothering to knock, into the hall before proceeding into the kitchen. How he'd managed to sneak up on both of us was just a testament to how engrossed we'd been. He turned around the corner with a smug grin on his face. "It keeps the dogs out."

"You, shut up." I warned before the Vampire had a chance to say anything else that would send the situation spiralling even further. "You, need to leave" I spun around to face Alcide and even pointed my finger at him.

"Are you sure you want to be left alone with _him_?"

I closed my eyes lightly and let out a long breath, trying to keep myself calm. "I am fine! Leave before I do something I regret again." He nodded at me solemnly, his anger still rolling off him in waves. As he passed he paused, to rest his hands on my hips and place a caressing kiss to my forehead. It didn't escape my notice however that his eyes never left Eric. "Just go Alcide, please."

"If you need me Sookie, just call." I nodded, not trusting myself to offer a verbal response without saying something I would really regret at some time soon.

"Don't you dare say or do anything. Just sit and wait!" I snapped at Eric as the back door shut softly behind the hulking Were. With a huff I turned on my heel to leave him to do what he wanted in the kitchen while I returned to my bedroom. If the night was less than an hour old and it was already this stressful, I hated to think what the rest had in store for me.

* * *

**So, what did you think? How many of you thought they were going to get down and dirty when Eric started licking Sookie's blood? I'm quite enjoying this Eric/Alcide decision thing that Sookie has to make. Poor Sam though, i haven't forgotten about him. Now, you know i love feedback almost as much as i love a certain Viking vampire. Also, april was a very good month as it featured my favourite vampire on my True Blood calendar. **

**Until next week. Hope you had a good Easter. **

**LF91  
**


	7. Questions and answers

**Hello dears, **

**how are you all doing? Been up to much this week? Did anybody read Dead Reckoning yet? Camden only has one book store and i couldn't find it :( But i have season 3 on preorder so i'm getting really excited for that. **

**I've have a very good week; seeing all my friends, hanging out, going to the gym to run a mile everyday before class, went to watch a tv show being filmed so i'll let you know if i'm on tv with it lol. Went to the cinema on wednesday to see Thor, epically good film. I love it. The guy playing Thor is pretty damn fine and has some amazing muscles. Of course, there was just one thought running through my mind the entire time... Also, it had a good sound track. I really recommend Walk by Foo Fighters, brilliant song that the film showcases quite well. It really does go with the story line too. **

**I want to say a few thank-yous this week. First of all to vmplvr who left a review that i couldn't respond to. Thanks to those who reviewed chapter 6; i only got to reply to some of you because ff started throwing up an error message when i tried to reply to some of them yesterday. Last a really big thank-you to my wonderful betas campyrs and Trajedy99. Extra special birthday shout out to campyrs as well, it was her birthday on wednesday. **

**I think that sums it up apart from to say, Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries, i sadly own nothing of the sort. Although i'm still in april with my wonderful calendar :) On with the chapter. **

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As soon as I stepped into my bedroom I securely locked the door behind me and drew the curtains. I wanted to be alone or, as alone as I could be with a vampire, who didn't really understand personal boundaries or the word no, on the other side of my door. I was in a mess of a situation with three supernatural guys which, if you haven't already figured it out, is a wonderful way to get yourself hurt. First there was poor Sam who had gone missing under unusual circumstances and I had to get him back. Secondly, and these last two I wasn't entirely sure which way round they should come as they were closely intertwined, I had Alcide who was acting peculiarly and who I was most definitely fighting with at the minute. Then, lastly I had Eric who was confusing on so many levels; I'd slept with him but didn't particularly want a relationship although the way he looked without his clothes on, made me want to think otherwise. He was also trying his best to get me to change my mind and that man was rather persuasive when he set his mind to it.

"I don't have the energy for this," I whispered to myself so that the vampire wouldn't be able to hear me. As it was he might still have anyway.

"Meow," Tina answered me as she rubbed figure eights around my ankles. I hadn't even been aware she was in my bedroom.

"Men. At least you don't have to worry about them." Tina had been spayed as soon as she'd been old enough for the operation. "Now, what the hell do I wear? He said dress up; what do you suppose that mean's in guy-speak?"

Not knowing what else to really put on I went for what is seemingly the staple in every girl's closet; the little black dress. Mine happened to be comfy, practical and if teamed with the right accessories either smart enough for going out to the theatre or relaxed enough for going to the mall with Amelia. In fact, it had been on such a trip with my friend that it had been purchased.

"I guess this will just have to do," I mumbled to my cat that had taken a seat beside the open closet door and was busy licking her forelegs.

I quickly pulled off my lounging clothes, grateful that I'd taken the time this afternoon when I'd showered to wash my hair to its golden glory and to shave everything. The black material glided over my soft skin, fitting snugly as it always had. With only a little tugging it was in place but something was missing. With a shrug of my shoulders, and carefully avoiding the judging gaze of the cat, I pulled out a pair of lacy panties from my drawer and changed. I definitely wasn't planning on anything happening tonight but last night had turned out much different than I'd anticipated and my Gran had always told me to be prepared. Although I don't think she'd had a situation like this in mind when she'd taught me that lesson. Black strappy, wedge heeled sandals completed the look and I was ready to put on make-up. Only a couple of minutes later and I was as good as I was going to get.

Glancing in the mirror before I left my room I was actually pleased with the outcome. The v-neckline of the dress was low enough to be playful while high enough to be demure. The simple white gold chocker-style necklace I'd teamed with it drew attention away from the swell of my breasts which was good since the material bunched there. The straps were thick, a continuation of the back and were what contributed to the ruffled effect. A wide strip of the same soft material wrapped around my stomach, accentuating my slender waist and it used to end in a bow, until I'd gotten fed up with it and hacked it off before repairing the dress. The skirt was rather full, falling down over my hips to my knees with enough material for it to be folded at the top. Another couple of matching white gold bangles around my wrist finished off my jewellery. I'd simply let my hair fall down around my shoulders in the gentle waves that my hair naturally had when I let it dry on its own, without the aid of the blow drier.

"Be a good girl while I'm gone. There's plenty of food in the kitchen for you so just take it steady." I knew I was talking to Tina as though she understood my every word. I wouldn't put it past her if she actually could. Sometimes when she looked at me it was as though she could see right through me to what I was thinking. "I'll be back..." I let my voice trail off when I realised, again, that I had no idea when I would be back because I had no idea where I was going.

"Okay," I called out as I opened up my bedroom door. I found Eric standing entirely too close for comfort, lounging only a couple of feet away against the wall opposite my bedroom door. "I'm not in the mood for any of your funny business." I told him flatly although my mood had greatly improved by making myself look pretty. His answering grin told me it was going to be a long night.

"I am sure I know exactly what you mean." I just rolled my eyes at him. "I heard you talking to the cat," once again humour lit up his eyes. "So I assumed you were almost ready to leave."

"Yeah, I'm ready. So where are we going?" I felt too much like Pippin in the Fellowship of the Ring; I'd already signed up for the quest without actually knowing what was happening. We all know how that one had turned out as well.

"Shreveport. Pam called me this morning just after I left your house and told me that she had discovered a lair of sorts so we are going to check it out." Acting oddly gentlemanly, he took my hand and placed it on the crook of his elbow to walk me out of my own back door to the car that was waiting for us outside. "You look ravishing," he whispered, bending down slightly to whisper the words into my ear.

Quick as a blink he carefully dropped my arm so that he could smoothly open the car door for me. I smiled my thanks at him and glided as best as I could in to the sleek sports car. I had no idea what it was but judging by the fact I was sitting on what I would call the incorrect side of the car, it was an import. By the time I'd fastened my seatbelt he was already sitting beside me with the engine on and revving, anxious to be driving.

"Are you going to be more specific?" I asked as we began to hurtle down my drive way at quite an alarming rate. I had to keep telling myself that he had supernatural reflexes and that I was probably safer going this fast with him than driving normally myself.

"If you wish. You look good enough to eat. You look almost as good as you do naked." I had no idea how to take the latter part of that statement so I chose to ignore it, hoping that he was just saying it to get a rise out of me.

"You know what I mean. We're going to Shreveport to do some reconnaissance work. Where are we going and why does it involve us dressing up?" I took in what he was wearing for the first time and oh boy, was it a treat for the eyes. He was wearing actual suit pants instead of what I'd become to refer to as his customary jeans and he'd teamed them with a dark grey button down shirt underneath a black velvet dinner jacket. He'd left the first few buttons on his shirt open, revealing a pale expanse of chest dappled with blond hair and adorned by the necklace he always wore. The hair that really suited him was brushed back and, somehow, it was doing exactly as he wanted it to without the need for any apparent product. In that moment I was astoundingly jealous.

"Like what you see?" His lips were pulled up into the smug grin that I saw way too much of for my liking while his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Stop that! Now, answer my question," I huffed and stared straight ahead out of the windshield.

"We are going to May Belle's if you must know. We have dinner reservations for 8 o' clock."

"May Belle's? How the hell did you get a table there?" May Belle's, although mostly everyone just pronounced it Maybel's, was an upper class restaurant located in the heart of Shreveport's entertainment district. I'd only ever passed by the window, I hadn't even dared to look at the prices on the menu outside, I knew it was nestled between a theatre on one side and a fashion designer's studio on the other.

"It was easy." It was the only explanation he was going to give me. "Now, I know you like to ask questions so I propose a compromise of sorts." I couldn't believe he was suggesting a compromise; he wasn't the sort of guy that gave up on what he wanted, exactly how he wanted it as well.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"Ah, I think you would refer to it as twenty questions. I ask a question and you must answer; the same goes in reverse for me. We each get a pass." The entire time he was speaking he was spying on me out of the corner of his eyes. Although I knew he was up to something I had no idea what, so reluctantly, I agreed.

"I will even let you go first." Now I really knew he was up to something. I began to fiddle with the hem of my dress, tugging it down slightly so that it would cover me up just a little more. At least I was dressed up enough for where we were going.

"How old are you?" He had an air around him that said he was old and his appearance definitely didn't say he was modern. Well, the amount of power he had and how he commanded said he was old.

"937 or about there at least. After so many years you do not count quite so carefully. I was a Viking." That definitely explained a lot and it matched him. The paleness of baby blond hair, bright blue eyes and skin that I could just tell was pale even before his transformation into a creature of the night. "From Scandinavia. I have had one true love throughout my entire existence and that has been with life itself. I love to live." The smile that made his lips twitch meant that he knew exactly how that sounded, a vampire who was technically dead, was in love with being alive.

"Wow," was the intelligent reply that I came up with while wishing that I'd paid more attention in European history class in high school. That would have been impossible though; a hormonal telepath with barely any control in a room full of adolescent boys isn't going to be productive when it comes to studying. It's true what they say as well; all boys want exactly one thing when they're about 16. At least, all the ones I had met did anyway.

"My turn. Did you slap the Were back at your house?" There was too much glee in his voice for such a question.

"Yes." He'd given me more detail than my simple question had required so I thought I should return the favour, especially since Alcide was still ticking me off so adding a bit of potential embarrassment on his part into the mix seemed good to me. "He was acting like a jerk and being cruel. He deserved it. Though, it did make my hand sting afterwards." I glanced down at the hand I'd used and was at least half surprised that there wasn't still a red mark there.

"Oh Sookie, you are quite something. I had my suspicions when I walked in and saw the mark on his face but I could not be quite sure. You got him good. I, well, I am actually proud." His expression was amazing; wide-eyed and half smiling, as though he really was shocked at his emotions.

"Yes, well. It's not exactly my most proud moment. Violence doesn't solve anything." I really did believe what I'd just said although I also thought that violence was necessary at times. Some people you just can't rationalise with. Eric however, sent me a long sideways glance with his blond eyebrows knitted together tightly. "Anyway," I added quickly, moving on before he could have his say on the matter and have it turn into a full blown argument. "So I know that you can fly," it was still difficult to get my head around that and to actually get the word out of my mouth. I would have to see him fly before he slithered out of my world. "Do you have any other superpowers?" The last word was chosen to hopefully get a chuckle out of him.

His broad grin was my reward. "It depends what you mean by that. I am classed as elite when wielding a sword, axe, dagger and pretty much any other weapon you can name easily. I am not sure whether they are a gift or whether it just stems from my childhood spent learning how to wield swords among others, on top of over a thousand years of practice. I am strong even for my age and you always want me on your side in a fight. I have a way of knowing instinctively what to do to win."

"Okay," I gulped, completely *star struck* by his words. Everything that I had thought dangerous about this man had been proved and he'd done it with such nonchalance as though it was just fact.

"My turn. What are you?" He took his eyes fully off the road to stare at me while he spoke, searching my face for answers before I'd even spoken.

"Oh," I replied, stalling for time. I had forgotten that he didn't know I was a telepath. He treated me so normally, or at least what I was guessing was a semblance of normal for him, that it was as though he was like the other Supes that I knew. I was telepathic but it wasn't any stranger than their abilities. My answer would really depend on whether I could trust him. "Pass."

"You're going to regret that," he spoke instantly and his tone was muted, not giving me a hint about whether he was joking or making a threat that I knew he would follow through on.

"Oh, no. I mean I can't tell you now. It's hard for me to tell anyone about it and I'm not going to tell you in the car. I need to see your reaction when I tell you." I said quickly, hoping that I would be successful in calming him down.

He shot me a sideways glance and a half grin; letting me see that his fangs were down for some reason. "Are you saying that you need to tell me in private?"

"Yes."

"Very well, I will see to it that we are indeed in private," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and accentuated the gesture with his eyes checking over me slowly. "Very soon." I sighed. "You will still regret that answer." This time I could hear the teasing lilt in his voice. "Have you slept with Alcide?"

I groaned audibly and closed my eyes so that I wouldn't have to see his reaction. "Yes. I also thank-you for not using crude language."

"Is that all I am going to get for my question? I do not think that is right."

With my eyes still closed I divulged more of what had happened between the Were and me. Perhaps it would be Eric who regretted wanting more details. "We dated for a couple of months. I became a Friend of the Pack during that time, I still am and Alcide has remained a closer friend. Actually, we're closer now than we were when we were together. I think we were definitely more friends with benefits that actual lovers." For the last sentence I dared myself to open my eyes and I was ultimately glad that I did; both of Eric's hands were on the steering wheel, gripping it ferociously, getting tighter with every passing word. His gaze was set forward and his expression was stony, hiding every emotion that was playing behind his eyes. "How come you're interested in me?" I purposefully didn't clarify what kind of interested I meant.

"There is something different about you and I cannot place my finger on it to explain it. You are wise of the world and all its evils yet you still seem to have a naive, innocent spin to your mind. It was all evident the moment you walked into my club and even more so when you warned the vampire that something was about to happen. Then of course you walked out on me in the morning after a very delectable night." My hand wound up, forgetting my dress that I had continued to play with, to run over the healed bite marks on my neck. "You thought that night was as good as I did. You just do not act like anyone else I have met and I greatly believe that reason is to do with what you are."

"I'm still not telling you yet."

"I am not asking you to. You would know if I was. One final question before we have to leave the car, do you know Bill Compton?" The name didn't ring any bells with me at all.

"Erm, no. Should I?"

"Not at all, I was just checking how bad your judgement was. It seems better than I gave you credit for apparently. You should know that you just made my night with that answer." He was chuckling with every word he spoke, the sparkle back in his eyes and it brought the tension back down to normal in the car. It seemed I had survived that round of twenty questions.

Now that I could concentrate a little more on where we were going I found that we were already deep within the heart of the city, idling down one of the premiere shopping streets. May Belle's was just around the corner. Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the thought of actually eating at such a prestigious restaurant even if I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for it.

I was still deep in thought, thinking over every intricacy that the night could throw at me that I hadn't even realised Eric had gotten out of the car until he was holding the door for me. He offered me his hand, helping me out of the low car before wrapping my hand around his elbow.

"I don't trust valet with my car but I am afraid here there is no way around it if we are to play the part." With that he chucked the keys at the eldest parking attendant who grabbed them like he was taking a baseball to the stomach. The gasp of breath that he let out meant that Eric had indeed put some strength behind the throw, probably to give an extra warning to be careful. It was amazing that the three men gathered around hadn't realised that Eric was a Vampire at first, in fact two of them still didn't. To me he screamed Vampire as soon as my eyes landed on him, there was an aura of power around him that humans simply didn't have. Though I guess I was at an advantage at recognising Vampires; their minds were gloriously blank, a unique trait that I hadn't found with any other Supernatural and it wasn't as though there were a lot of telepaths around to know this.

"Good evening and welcome to May Belle's," the concierge greeted us, pronouncing the name as two separate words like you were supposed to. "Do you have a reservation sir?" I could see this was just a formality, no one just walked into this restaurant in the evening without having made a booking. The guy was already grabbing two menus from his little stand while he spoke to us.

"Yes, a table for two under Northman."

"Ah, right this way sir, ma'am." The concierge walked smoothly away and it was a good thing that Eric was still leading me as I never would have been able to keep up with them otherwise. The restaurant had captured my attention with the finery I found inside. The reception desk was in its own little room so that you didn't see the restaurant properly until you passed through the heavy, wooden double doors behind. As soon as it opened the low hum of chattering people filled the air to mix with the aroma of dozens of gorgeous dishes prepared expertly by the renowned chefs here.

The room was expansive, stretching back further than you ever would have imagined from just looking in the window from the street. It reminded me of an old fashioned ball room from the 1800s and with the old theatre next door coming from that period, it was entirely possible that had been its original purpose. The ceiling was high and decorated with images of France, each one separated by an intricate web of flowers that blended them all together. I could make out the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Arc de Triumph from its former glory before the cars were on the road. I would have seen more if I hadn't needed to look down to see where I was going when I heard Eric's chuckle. I had apparently only narrowly missed walking into one of the waiters carrying a heavy load of meals.

Sconces hung from the walls, the bright bulbs subdued by the cream coloured shades on them which worked to give the entire room a romantic air while still being able to see everything clearly. The tables were laid out in a maze that I couldn't fathom although there must have been some planning to the layout. Each table had a lace cloth and was decorated by a single rose placed in front of every person seated while a candle was burning away in the middle. Everyone seemed happy, in love and it was when I saw them all that I had to wonder why we were here.

"Here you go. Craig here," a waiter that I hadn't seen before seemed to just materialise next to the concierge. "Will be your waiter for the evening. Please take a seat and peruse the menu. If you are ready for your drinks they can be sorted out now, if not, please take your time. If you require anything at all simply ask."

"Thank-you," I called out as he turned to leave. Eric untangled my hand from his arm neatly and helped me sit, pushing my chair under the table with ease. It was one of the most awkward gestures I had found during my brief human dating time, when the gentleman tried to do the proper thing and help the lady sit. You never knew quite what to do; sit there and let him struggle, hover a little over the chair so that the back of your knees got hit? It might have just been me however, because like I said, my human dating record was very thin. With Supernaturals, Vampires especially, you didn't have to worry because of their strength. Even if it was awkward to you no one would be able to tell because they could slide the chair across with no problem at all.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"A bottle of your finest red wine please," Eric answered for both of us and with a quick glance my way I remained silent.

"Of course Sir." With that we were left alone at our table.

"Why did you order that?" I hissed quietly across the table; no way was I going to be able to afford even my share of something like that.

"Calm down woman." He replied with a smile he was trying to hide making his lips quiver slightly. "We are on a date, so this is my treat." My face must have registered as much shock as I felt because he continued rather quickly. "I knew you were not going to accept a date from me at the moment, giving the current circumstances. I told you I was sneaky. If it makes you feel better you will have a good time and we are doing some important business while we are here as well."

It was the teenage girl inside of me that rejoiced at his words with an internal happy dance. Was it wrong that the thought of being on an actual date with Eric, the drop dead gorgeous Vampire, Mr Buttlicious, best sex I'd ever had, made me want to stand up so that I could jump up and down while clapping my hands? Well that was what I was doing in my head and I had to be careful not to let out a little 'squeal' of excitement.

Out loud I was more practical. "Why did you order a bottle? I'll never be able to drink all of it."

"Well, I will be having a glass or two of course."

"You will?" I asked, perplexed. Vampires could only consume blood, at least that was what I had believed and no one had ever corrected me.

"Yes. I won't actually be drinking it, your thoughts are correct, but I will be having a glass to keep up appearances."

"How though?" I couldn't imagine how he was going to get rid of an entire glass of wine, especially red. It wasn't like it would go unnoticed if he spilled it anywhere and a full glass sitting on the table all evening would be rather strange.

"Watch and see Sookie. Now, no more Supernatural talk around the waiters. They do not like, ah, abnormal clientele here."

With much ceremony Craig showed us the bottle of wine and proceeded to open it up smoothly for us. He poured a small amount in Eric's glass for tasting and then stood back to wait for my date's opinion. I was riveted by what Eric would do in this circumstance; I knew he would be expected to taste it to make sure that it hadn't gone bad. Eric sent me a smug grin before raising the glass up to his nose; he took a small sniff of the rich scent before bringing the glass up to his lips. Mesmerised I watched as he took a sip and then I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. When he lowered the glass I could see the remnants of the liquid glistening on his lips.

"Ah, perfect. A glass for the lady." Craig pulled out another glass that he had been holding and placed it in front of me.

As soon as we were left alone again I leaned in across the table so that my question wouldn't be over heard. "How did you do that?" I was impressed; at first I had thought he would simply sniff the wine.

"Illusions," was all he said, causing me to giggle at the over the top mysterious tone he put on.

"Would you like to continue the game from in the car?" I asked as we, well I was the only one actually eating, tucked into our desserts. I'd chosen the absolutely delicious white chocolate volcano which was basically a supreme chocolate pudding that oozed chocolate sauce every time my spoon touched it.

"Yes," Eric replied, obviously surprised that it had been my idea to start it back up. So far we'd made basic small talk throughout the meal. He'd been riveted, watching my every move as I ate my starter of a fruit salad and then the steak that I'd had for the main course. I was thankful the portions were on the smaller side because I was determined to get this desert down whether it made me pop or not; it was that good. I was only just beginning to really relax in his presence. It was freaking me out that he was pretending to be human. Although, saying that he wasn't doing much on the acting front. The most he'd done was pretend to taste the wine, other than that he just hadn't done anything overtly Vampire. "Ladies first."

"You don't strike me as the person to pretend to be something they're not. Why are you tonight?" I placed another spoonful in my mouth, taking my time when I saw his heavy lidded eyes on my every move.

"Necessity. Most of the time I revel in what I am, I do not care what other people think and it pains me to pretend to be something I do not want to, and cannot, be. My question. Now, where in the world would you most like to go?"

"Well, I haven't really been anywhere so anywhere sounds pretty good to me," I replied, trying to keep the edge of regret out of my voice. "I once went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras the first time I went to visit Amelia. While I was there I heard about the festivals in Venice and the masquerade balls they hold there that last all night. I would love to go and experience that. Plus, while you're there you can see the history of the city, the canals. Oh, I would just love to go there," I sighed the last sentence and stuffed my face with another spoonful to stop myself from rambling any further.

"I've been to Venice." My eyes snapped up to his face. "I was bored with England so I decided to see the rest of Europe again. I ended up in Venice on the trail of a young pair that I had met the last time I was in Italy. Venice was still a republic and Palladio, the greatest architect of the 16th century was active, creating his wondrous villas. The Vampire pair I knew just happened to be the patrons of Palladio. You would like the villas and the history that Venice holds. You will go there one day." His last statement was spoken as though it was a fact and I didn't dare question him.

"You must have seen so much of the world, having lived through so much history."

"You would not even believe some of the stories I hold."

"You will have to tell me some time." I did my best at sending him a coy smirk, looking through my eyelashes at him while I was still facing the plate in front of me.

"Describe me in three words."

"That is not a question."

"Okay then Mister, if you had to describe me in three words, what words would you chose?" I sent him a pointed stare and then took my last bite of the chocolate pudding, savouring every last second.

"Honourable, practical and fun-loving. I also do not want to hear anything about that last being two words, there was a hyphen involved." I grinned back at him because that had been precisely what I was going to say. "Would you like to hear my other three choices?"

Perplexed, I pushed the bowl aside slightly so that I could rest my elbows on the table, placing my chin in my crossed hands to look at him comfortably. "Okay," I finally replied. I was being very intelligent apparently this evening.

"Intelligent, brave and sexy." He said them all with a straight face and with every word that came out of his mouth I felt myself blush a deeper shade of crimson.

"Why do you say that?"

"Honourable; you only broke your pact with Amelia after she did and you entered into the pact with her, even though you didn't need to. You love your friends and stand by them, I may not have known you very long but that is clear." I nodded my head in slight agreement with that, although if he thought I stood by my friends all the time he can't have been counting Alcide.

"Practical; you use what gifts you have and you get things done.

"Fun-loving; you came to a Vampire bar to dance, on your own. You have a sense of humour and even in the worst of times you smile." I'm sure by now I was red as a tomato.

My last three, which actually happen to be my favourite, although you should know they were censored for public decency." I gave him a swift kick in the shin under the table for that which, only made my toes hurt and him to laugh. "Intelligent; you are the smartest breather I have met in a very long time and you do not seem to have the naivety of the Supernatural world that a lot of them carry."

"Brave. You stood up to that shifter."

"I called for help, that wasn't really brave."

"Yes, it was. I know several Vampires that would not have been able to do what you did. You called for help but only because you recognised that you would not be able to handle the entire situation on your own. Finally, we come to sexy."

"Stop," I whispered as I placed my palms against my cheeks in a vain attempt to cool myself down. I couldn't stand listening to this; it was an odd mix of embarrassment and curiosity that was flowing through me. I just knew that listening to him explain 'sexy' would tip me over the edge. "Not here, please." I added.

Without taking his eyes off of me he got the waiters attention with a swift wave of his hand and simply stated that he needed the bill when Craig stepped up to the table. I couldn't break eye contact with him. His eyes were deliciously blue, the colour that I'd always imagined the ocean would look surrounding the Caribbean islands and they were smouldering as he stared at me.

"Okay," was all he finally said when the waiter produced a fancy black billfold that held the receipt. In a motion so fast that it instantly gave away his Vampire nature. He pulled out a few bills from his slender wallet, placed them inside the card Craig had given him and handed it back before the waiter could even turn around. "Keep the change as a tip."

Eric stood up and if it hadn't been for the gentle smile gracing his handsome face I would have said he loomed for he was so very tall. Instead he held his hand out for me to grasp and proceeded to pull me through the restaurant to the front door where I could see the valet attendant struggling to exit the car in time for us to get there.

He didn't say anything to the man who hastily handed over the keys, instead he just handed him another folded green bill before holding the door open for me. I got in as smoothly as I could, making sure to keep my dress down modestly. Once again by the time I'd belted up Eric was ready to drive away with the ignition on.

"Where are we going now?" I asked as we pulled away from the curb. My voice sounded shaky and it was undeniably from the tension that had just sprung up between us without any warning.

"Just around the corner, to the building at the back of May Belle's," he replied and just as he finished we took a left turn to loop around. He shifted gears, allowing me to see the fine play of muscles in his forearm contracting with the motion. He'd draped his suit jacket just behind his seat as he got into the car and his shirt sleeves had been pushed up to his elbows.

His mind was wonderfully blank to me still; there wasn't even a wave of emotion that I got from Shifters. I had no idea what was going on in his head and it excited me that every little thing was a complete surprise and I was just like every other woman out there going on a date. I followed his arm up to his face so that I could watch him. He continued to drive, not paying me any attention although the way his eyes had flickered to the left when I'd first looked up meant that he knew what I was doing. There was no way about it; his bold features, the straight nose and the slightly scruffy stubble on his cheeks and chin made him the best looking man I'd ever seen. It also helped to know that it wasn't just an illusion, he really did look like that and he had the body to match.

I hadn't even realised he'd parked the car until he suddenly turned towards me, his eyes still blazing. He didn't give me any warning and I only just had time to close my eyes with a smile already forming when his lips met mine in a kiss that stole my breath. His hands reached up to cup my face, keeping me in place as though he was afraid I was going to back away. This was different though, this wasn't like the past couple of days. This kiss I wanted.

I kissed him back with all I had, resting one hand against his chest to feel the stillness of his chest while my other went up to the base of his neck to grasp his hair. His tongue delved into my mouth and I could still taste the remnants of the wine from earlier on him, making him taste even sweeter and me to lean over into him even more.

"Hmmm," I sighed with contentment as I broke away for air and he trailed a line of kisses along the edge of my jaw towards my ear.

_Ah fuck, the boss aint gunna be happy about that. He don't want anyone around here with the meeting. I don't get why we had to take that shitting Shifter anyway. No Shifter and no meeting. Just kill the bastard I say, no need for him anyway. They'll soon know whose boss around here anyway. _

My eyes snapped open as the words sank into my addled mind. Eric had just begun to nuzzle my hair away, exposing part of my neck to him and I could feel him hovering, just out of reach which sent goosebumps across my skin.

"Stay there," I whispered as quietly as I could. I didn't dare turn my head to find out where the voice had come from, all I knew was that it must have been close for me to hear the voice so clearly. For once my Vampire did exactly as I wanted to and just stopped moving, he didn't even move away.

"What's wrong?"

"Shit!" I screamed in my head, realising that I had no way of telling him what I had heard without having to explain my abilities. So, I went with the only thing I could come up with. "There's someone watching us." I whispered again and closed my eyes in case he could see the half truth in them.

"Yes there is," he replied back, whispering so low I only heard him because he hadn't moved away at all. "Bouncer of the club. I think they're holding a meeting tonight. I want to know what is happening in there."

"No," I almost whimpered as my heart began to race for an entirely different reason. "Get me out of here. Please. Just drive. I'll explain everything, I promise." I clamped my shields down as tight as possible, drawing on the silence of the vampire beside me for strength. I collapsed back into the seat and closed my eyes tightly, concentrating with all of my might on Eric, the only thing that was currently keeping me grounded.

He didn't answer my request. It was only when I was pushed backward into the seat with the momentum of the car careening forward that I knew he'd listened to me. He didn't say anything until we'd turned three corners.

"What is wrong?" His voice had changed again, this time there was a dangerous edge to it although I still felt perfectly safe with him.

"I can't, not yet, just drive a little further." I couldn't hear the man at all, he had long since gone out of my range but I could still feel his words crawling over me like a spider. I needed to get them out of me, get him off of me and tell Eric. For that I had to clear my mind and be truly alone with him. "Take me to your place."

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**So what did you think? Who's loving this Eric? You know I love feedback almost as much as a i love a certain viking vampire. Well, that's all for now, I'll see you next week. Have a good one. **


	8. Exploring, Explanations and Excitement

**Hello! **

**How are you all doing? Had a good week? I had a boring week really. So, quickly moving forward. **

**I want to apologise and say a very bit thank-you to everyone that sent me a review for the last chapter. I really do appreciate it and they all make me smile. At the moment however i can't respond to them; every time i try, error message 404 comes up. Any ideas on how to get round it? So sorry i'm not replying, you know i usually try and reply to everyone. But in general; glad you liked the mini 20 questions game, Eric really is awesome and you'll be seeing a lot more of him in this chapter if ya get what i mean ;)**

**Finally, a really big thank-you to my betas, campyrs and Trajedy99 for the wonderful job they do on this story. They're pretty damn awesome. **

**Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries, on with the chapter!**

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The skin tingling tension that had reigned between us earlier had been replaced with an awkward force that pressed down on me, keeping me silent. Eric was driving faster than I'd ever seen anyone drive when they weren't on a race track and yet it wasn't his driving that was bothering me. I kept replaying the man's words in my head, and every time, without fail, it caused me to shudder. When I wasn't thinking of what I'd overheard I was beginning to panic about what Eric would do or say when he found out. I knew he wasn't going to take it well; I'd kept quiet about my telepathy for a little bit too long and I could probably have gathered more information if I'd been brave enough to stay. I would need to make sure he knew that I couldn't read vampire minds, I would be dead, truly and finally, dead before I could blink if any vampire thought I could read their mind.

We'd only been driving about ten minutes when we screeched to a crawl before taking a sharp right hand turn into an underground parking lot. I hadn't seen the name of the building outside so I had no idea where we were. Yes, I'd been looking out of the windshield but I hadn't actually been seeing what we were passing; we could have been anywhere in Shreveport. He continued to drive, going slowly, to the darkest depths of the parking lot, further away from the singular road entrance near where the elevators were. It was there that he pulled into a parking space that was allotted to Mr Northman and next to it was another little sign that read 'Penthouse Visitor'.

"We are here," he told me quietly when I didn't make any motion to move from the car. I nodded my head and got out of the car on autopilot; I didn't even thank him when he opened my door for me.

We didn't speak again until we were in the elevator. He was once again leading me, my hand on the crook of his arm, and he'd used an electronic card to access a small elevator tucked away in the corner. Unless you were looking for it you would have missed it as you automatically wanted to walk towards the larger ones.

"Why this one?" I asked, thankful that my voice no longer sounded shaky although I didn't let up my firm grip on his arm.

"It is the only one I can use for my apartment. It has extra security as you need an electronic key card to get in; there are only three of them and I know precisely where they all are. I am afraid you won't be able to run tonight." I couldn't decipher the tone he was using as he said that last bit. It couldn't be regret because he had done nothing wrong; we'd had a good time and I'd bailed out in the morning, wanting nothing more from him. Well, I hadn't wanted anything more from him at the time, now I wasn't so sure. If I hadn't known any better I would have settled on scared, or perhaps more anxious that I really would try running out on him again.

I didn't bother to ask him why he was assuming I was staying the night; I wanted to stay, he apparently wanted me to stay, so it was a bit of moot point.

"I'm not going anywhere; I need to do this." A couple of seconds later the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a small room painted in pastel shades. There were no windows, of course, yet it was surprisingly well lit with lights hanging down in ornate shades from the ceiling at regular intervals. The room stretched perpendicular to the elevator and had three doors leading off in different directions. Flanking each door was a pair of small trees or shrubs. It definitely wasn't how I'd imagined his home to look like. "This is your home?"

"In a sense. It is one of the places where I can spend the night. When you are a vampire you need several places in case one of them becomes breached or an enemy learns where you live. This just happened to be the closest to where we were." We stepped forward and I felt comfortable enough to let my hand drop from his arm although I remained about half a pace behind him as he walked toward the main door straight ahead.

"I am sorry but it is not really stocked for human guests. You might be able to find some supplies that the house keeper has left behind but that will be all." Why the hell did he need a housekeeper? He wouldn't exactly make much mess on his own and then I tried to picture him doing his own laundry or cleaning out the bath. The question died on my lips.

"That's fine; I don't really need anything." I had just eaten and I could drink water no problem so I was good until my stomach started rumbling again.

"I will have the doorman bring some fresh food up first thing in the morning." Then he pushed open the door that he'd just unlocked and stepped forward into the apartment. Just like every other man I'd ever seen the first thing he did was sling his keys onto the side table, the clattering sound told me there was a glass bowl for storing them, and emptied his pockets as well. He'd left his jacket in the car.

"You don't have to do that." I had a feeling my response had been studiously ignored; he would do what he wanted.

"The kitchen is to the left, the bathroom and bedrooms to the right." I could only nod my understanding as I stood to take in everything that I was seeing. The place was huge; everything was open plan so I could look left and see the start of the kitchen where it began to wrap around the building and the same with the right. I could just about see the corridor that lead off to the bedrooms. In front of me was an expansive lounge area with three long sofas that would allow him to lay down on them without curling up. One of them faced out across the Shreveport skyline that I could see through the bank of windows that opened up just in front of the living room, everything else was artificially lit. A massive television was hung on the wall above a mock stone fireplace that would never be able to hold an actual fire. Everything was clean; everything was a wonderful mix of cream and black. In fact the only colour was the deep red shaggy rug on the floor and the matching pillows on the sofa. Just like a lot of men's places there was very little in the way of decoration, not a damn thing that I could see was personal.

I hadn't even been aware that Eric had left my side until he came back with a bottle of True Blood in one hand and a bottle of water in the other for me. At some point he'd managed to change so he was now wearing black cotton jogging pants, a black racer-back tank and he was also barefoot. I took the bottle of water, had a small sip and then followed his lead in getting comfortable. I slipped my sandals off, placed my jewellery in my purse and put them by the small cabinet beside the main door. Once that was done I unclasped my hair from the slide that had been keeping it back from my face and put it in the bowl with his keys so it wouldn't get damaged in my bag. It was only then that I joined him on the sofa.

"What is it? What has made you change so suddenly?" He asked as I took my seat, with my legs folded half under me and half to the side so that I was leaning against the back of the sofa, facing him. He sat at an angle, lounging low with his long legs spread out in front of him. It was an image of relaxation but I could see the taught muscles in his neck and the tension in his eyes; he was anything but relaxed.

"I need to tell you what I am before any of this will make sense. Can you promise me that you won't get angry or overreact?" I was fiddling with the hem of my dress again and not meeting his eyes.

"I give you my word that I will not overreact. I cannot however, promise that I will not get angry. I will hear you out, all that you have to say." I nodded my head, actually feeling better that he'd been honest with me than if he'd made an empty promise just to placate me. "Now, stop messing with your dress and look at me." Slowly my fingers became idle and I stared up at him, only to find him gazing back at me with an odd expression. His face was set in lines somewhere between worry of what I had been keeping from him and frustration.

"Okay, I'm just going to come out with this and then explain everything." I took a deep breath; it had been a long time since I'd had to tell anyone this. "I'm a telepath." His face didn't really change; the frustration was swept away, leaving behind the worry. What surprised me the most was the lack of shock on his face, it was almost as though he'd half expected those words to come out of my mouth and he just couldn't have. "I'm telepathic with most creatures yet vampires are blank to me. Completely and utterly, I can't tell a damn thing about you. All I can tell is when one of you is nearby because it's just a blank spot in my head," I rambled on quickly; getting what I felt was the most important detail out their first. "Ask questions if you want; I haven't done this in awhile so I know I'll leave stuff out." I hoped he got that I trusted him with this information and it wasn't something that I just told any friend. In fact, I could easily count on the fingers of one hand the friends that I'd told. I wasn't going to count my family as we never really discussed what it was; I could tell from their heads they were scared to know the truth about what they expected. It only mattered to me that they still loved me, accepted me and they did.

Eric's face took on an expression of interest as he thought over what I was saying. Not once did he even try to say anything to directly interrupt me and that in itself was becoming a little worrying. I couldn't tell what was going on inside that head of his and after years of knowing nearly everything it was unnerving. Even with Sam and Alcide I had impressions or feelings. And, well hell, Amelia was a bit of a damn broadcaster so I knew everything that roamed through her mind, even gory details that I didn't want to know but what she would eventually tell me anyway.

"Other Supes are tougher to read than humans but I can read them all. It's why I enjoy Vampire company so much; no need to protect my mind from something I can't get in anyway. Humans are the clearest though; every single one of them I can hear. Even with what I call "my shields" up, I can still hear them like white noise or a radio on low in my head."

"Am I the first vampire you have told?" It was an odd question to ask, catching me by surprise as I had anticipated double checking that I really couldn't read him.

"Yes," I replied honestly.

"It hurts you. Listening in all the time." It wasn't a question and I was actually surprised by the softness in his tone.

"Yes. I get headaches and I'm usually tormented by something I know and not being able to do anything about it. I learn how hateful gossip can be at its cruellest and I know everyone's darkest secrets as long as they've been thinking about it with me nearby." My fingers had started messing with the cotton again although I hadn't taken my eyes away from him, it was only when I felt his cool hand on top of mine, stopping my motions that I realised.

"Why did you agree to going to the restaurant with me tonight? You knew the place would be full of humans." Again he came out with an odd question, or at least a strange order to his questions. His thumb began tracing patterns over the soft skin of my wrist.

"You had asked me and I honestly wanted to spend some time with you where I wasn't angry with you or working. I needed to get away from Alcide and if I didn't go to places because of my abilities, I would never leave my home."

"Then why do you work at a bar? Surely somewhere quieter, like a library would be better."

"Libraries are too quiet, there's nothing else to occupy my mind so I can hear everything unless I sit and block. At the bar, yes there are more people and their minds become more open as they drink, but there's so much background noise anyway that my actual ears block a lot of sounds out. Also, I've been doing it for so long now I can put a lot of brain power into shielding and still do a good job."

"And you cannot read vampires?" He stared directly into my eyes, seeking the truth out of my answer. This was the question I'd been most expecting.

"Not a thing. You can test me if you like."

"Okay then, what am I thinking?" I closed my eyes lightly and simply revelled in the silence all around me. The man beside me was wonderfully blank, even though he was touching me and the people in the apartment below were already in a deep sleep. "I haven't got a clue." I responded honestly after a few seconds.

"You really do speak the truth." I opened my eyes again and gazed at him quizzically. "You did not have a single lie reaction like most humans and, the most telling part for me, you did not even begin to blush and my thoughts would have turned you redder than at the restaurant." It was as I burst into a little fit of giggles that he began chuckling. And, just like that, the tension that had built between us in the car on the way here was broken. "What happened after we left the restaurant? Something changed and it was not a reaction to me." At least now I knew the fear I thought I might have seen in his eyes earlier was the thought that I might not have enjoyed what he'd been doing to me. Ah, it seemed every man had a sensitive ego when it came to that department.

"I ah, heard something. That's as close to describing my telepathy as I can get really. Although it has nothing to do with my actual ears, believe me I've tried ear plugs and everything, nothing worked." Tears began to well up in my eyes as I thought of all the failed attempts when I was younger just to get a little peace. I had so little control back then, everything used to flash into my brain it seemed, things that little girls should just not be a witness to.

"What did you hear?" He brought his other arm up to rest along the back of the sofa so that he could gently twine my hair around his fingers.

"The bouncer guy, who was staring at us; he wasn't happy we were there because his boss didn't want anyone around. They were having a meeting and they're the ones that have taken Sam." An actual sob shook me as I said the words aloud; my imagination was running riot with what they could be doing to my dear friend."

"Is his boss the shifter from the other night?" His tone was as calm as it could be; he was doing his best to hide the urgency he felt.

"I'm not sure, I don't think so. Definitely the same type of creature. I got the impression the boss was bigger and crueller than that; he wouldn't waste his time scaring a human that got a little too close in her investigation."

"How?"

"It's not just words I hear. Sometimes I just get pictures or I get pictures and words. Other times just an impression. With this guy, he was a broadcaster; I could hear him loud and clear. I got images of shifters like the one that came after me; the other stuff about the boss was an impression."

"You really are a talented little telepath," Eric told me quietly after a few seconds of silence had passed between us. Then, in a move so slowly that I could have pulled back if I wanted to, he leaned forward to place his lips on mine and kissed me. Instantly I melted against his chest, seeking the comfort that he could give me and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms in turn snuck underneath my legs and back to pick me up easily so that he could place me on his lap. Surprisingly he never deepened the kiss; he just kept moulding his lips with mine with a slow passion. Eventually we both pulled away, yet I couldn't resist giving him another peck before I laid my head down on his shoulder, my nose just touching his neck.

"Is there anything else that you have found out or know that you should tell me? I do not usually take well to secrets. They come too close to lies." There was a hard edge to his eyes as he spoke which softened as soon as I began to answer him.

"The shifter yesterday really was just trying to scare me; I plucked that out from his mind. I could only really read it when he was in human form. I think that's all. No one in Bon Temps knows anything that's for sure." Tears were streaming from my eyes now. Some were from the relief of knowing that he knew about my strange abilities and yet hadn't abandoned me because of it, others were for knowing that Sam was out there, somewhere, needing to be rescued.

"We need to get Sam back," I said, putting a lot of effort into keeping my voice normal.

"Yes we do. There's nothing else we can do tonight. You did what I was planning on doing. We know there are other shifters in Shreveport that are holding meetings. They have your shifter friend." It could have been my imagination but he seemed to put more emphasis on the word 'friend' than was necessary.

"That reminds me, what were you planning on doing tonight? You said that the date was only part of it."

"I have the scent of the shifters now. Pam told me of some rumours she had heard of a not so secret meeting happening at that club tonight. We were to sit outside or nearby until we got bored, or I overheard something or smelled something." I nodded my head but didn't bother to lift it up. The cotton of his tank top was soft and his skin was so very cool that it was refreshing. I could feel all of this hard muscles resting beneath me and I felt completely safe in his arms. He really was relaxed now, the muscles in his neck weren't standing out and there wasn't any tension thrumming through his muscles under my touch, at least not the bad kind of tension.

The reaction my body had to this man was scary but I could no longer deny it. He clearly had a reaction to my touch as well which just seemed to heighten everything I felt. eHe houbh['It may have been through the stress of the night that my body wanted a release, or the knowledge that we couldn't do anything else tonight and he was here, more than willing. There was something though that was telling me I needed him.

Carefully I uncurled my legs and arms from around him and stood up.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, his arms clamping down around me to try and hold me in my place. For being the big bad vampire he sure did like to keep me close. I had a feeling he was more in touch with his human side than he would ever tell.

"I'm just going to freshen up, I need some human time," I replied and failed to keep my smile from my lips. He didn't respond verbally, instead he just let his arms drop to his sides. "I'll be back in a minute."

I didn't ask where the restroom was; instead I treated it like a little adventure and a chance to snoop. I let my eyes wander as I crossed the room quietly to get to the little corridor. Behind me I heard the television start up. The first door on my left that I came across was slightly ajar, and although it wasn't illuminated from within, there was just enough light for me to see a rather feminine bedroom; the walls were a pastel colour, the wooden furniture a softer shade than what filled the rest of the apartment and the covers carried some form of swirling design. Okay, it wasn't overtly girly but there was something about it all together that told me it was a girl's room.

Instead of getting jealous I took it for what it was; another room in an apartment that he clearly spent a lot of time alone in. It wasn't like there were women's things in his room, although I guess there could have been since I hadn't seen it yet. This was something separate. Shaking my head I checked the next door, only to have it reveal the little foyer area where the elevator waited. The last two doors we shut so I took a chance and went to my left. The door opened up to reveal an elaborate bathroom.

The shower was massive, obviously having been designed for sharing, with a glass screen that wrapped around the entire thing. There was a separate bathtub deep enough to cover your knees and your breasts at the same time even if you weren't in there alone. Everything was simple, yet elegant and obviously expensive. It was also obviously a man's room; one basic shampoo bottle and one shower gel. If that was a woman's, the entire rack in the shower would have been full and there would be need of an additional shelf for the things you could put in the bath. Honestly, I was just glad that he actually stocked toilet paper as a lot of vampires didn't if they even had a functional toilet.

Afterward, I was trying to wash my make-up off when I noticed how pale I looked in the mirror. There were circles under my eyes that showed my lack of proper sleep for several nights and my eyes were still staring wide as my mind tried to catch up with all the information it had to process. It wasn't those things that were startling me though. No, it was the small smile playing on my lips and the beginnings of a sparkle in my tired eyes. I was happy to be here. It was everything to do with the company I was in. Perhaps I shouldn't be so stubborn. If I wasn't, I would definitely have more fun.

"Oh Amelia, I wish I could talk to you girl," I whispered to myself as I thought of my best friend. She wouldn't tell me what to do, well she might but not like she would expect me to follow her orders, she would just sit there and listen to me spill everything. It was just the act of letting everything out at one time, seeing everything before me, that usually gave me the answer I sought.

With my make up gone and my face dry I returned to the living room. When I saw Eric he was lounging on the sofa, even more relaxed than when I had left, with the remote control held lightly in one hand as he flicked through channels on the television. The sight made me smile and I padded over to him quickly so that I could clamber onto the sofa next to him. Before I'd even sat down he'd dropped the remote and turned to face me, his eyes roaming over my face, obviously taking in the changes.

"You are even more beautiful without make-up. You should not hide your face," he whispered quietly to me, one hand cupping my cheek so his thumb could gentle trace a line down from my forehead to the corner of my mouth. "Tiny imperfections make people human and you make me feel oddly in touch with my human side."

"Is that bad?" I replied back, keeping my voice quiet even though I wasn't sure why we were whispering.

"I am not sure yet, I will let you know," he chuckled lightly and then swiftly leaned down to kiss me with his oh so gorgeous lips. His lips were soft, more commanding than earlier, yet still allowing me to savour every movement. My arms wound around his neck again, pulling myself in tight against his chest and causing his to wrap around my waist to keep me in place. With a feather like touch that bordered on tickling his hands began to wander over my body, above my dress. A teasing flicker of his tongue against my lips and I was done for.

"Wait," I mumbled against his lips, not wanting to break contact but needing to be heard. Slowly I grabbed his hands from where they rested on my back and stood up, keeping my hands so that our fingers were laced.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked with his eyebrows drawn down in a frown. "Do you want to stop?" My grin only got bigger as I stepped away from him, finally moving far enough away so that I could speak properly.

"Come with me," I replied instead of giving him an actual answer. Dropping one of his hands I pulled him with the other, thankful that he was being cooperative because otherwise I had no chance at forcing him anywhere, towards his bedroom. I wasn't entirely sure at which point he comprehended the full picture of what I was doing, his light laughter filled my ears the entire time from when my back was turned.

When we were clear of the sofas, walking behind them to the little corridor I was lifted swiftly off my feet in a motion so unexpected I squealed, loudly. The scream quickly turned to giggles of delight as my vampire's grinning face came into view, complete with fangs, as he held me tightly to his chest. The way he was holding me put my face directly in line with his neck and I couldn't resist; I kissed the soft skin there, sucking slightly as one hand ran through his hair.

I didn't pay any attention to where we were going until I heard the click of a light switch and the room we were in became illuminated in a dim light from two small lamps. Eric's bedroom was luxurious; a king size four poster bed with drapes tied back, a quilt that I could tell was soft even though I was at the other end of the room and pillows built up high. There was very little decoration though; the carpet was thick and a deep red shade, adorned with several rugs. A small cabinet was placed at either side of the bed, on top of those were the lamps, and apart from the two arm chairs in the remaining corners that was it. Everything about the soft furnishings yelled out comfort, and it was all a deep shade of oak wood that meant it was expensive.

Carefully Eric lowered me to the ground, giving me enough time to find my footing. Then, he stooped down to kiss me while I in turn stood up on my tip toes so that I could reach him better. My hands went to his shoulders to steady myself while his roamed over my back, massaging my muscles slightly. I hadn't even realised he'd found the zipper until I felt cool air against my skin, making me shiver ever so slightly. His kisses changed, from the passionate deep kisses on my mouth to smaller pecks as he moved down along my jaw line to my neck.

My arms relaxed to my sides, letting the straps of my dress fall down until I could smoothly pull my arms through. I just let my dress fall then, all the way to the floor where it formed a puddle of soft material around my bare feet, leaving me standing in just my lace underwear.

"You are gorgeous," he breathed as he pulled back from me and sank down to his knees so that he could lavish lower parts of my body with his kisses. It was only his strong hands against my back that kept me upright. Giving him a hint, I pushed the straps of my bra down over my shoulder and he wasted no time I undoing the clasp easily so that the small item quickly joined my dress.

"This is becoming unfair handsome," I told him as I tugged up the hem of tank top, revealing the glorious muscles of his stomach and chest. He leaned back on his heels so that I could pull his top over his head. Again it was just his hands against my bare back that stopped me from dropping to the floor with him.

"It is not quite to my liking either yet, give it time," he replied and went back to kissing my body. His cool lips found my nipples before moving further down and by the time he reached the waistband of my lace panties I was gasping for breath. Only one of his hands remained supporting me, the other was tracing light patterns over my inner thighs, setting my skin on fire. "Do you trust me?" The question caught me off guard and I stared down at him with a perplexed expression on my face while I tried, in vain, to compose myself enough to form a coherent query. "Do you?" He asked again when he saw my face.

"Yes." I was being completely honest and the wicked grin on his face told me that I'd both made him very happy and that he was up to something. I had a feeling; quite possibly it was the same one that was building already low in my stomach, that I would enjoy whatever he was planning.

Moving fast enough for me to watch but not for me to object, he ripped my panties over the sides of my hips and threw them clean across the room. I didn't have time to mourn their loss before he began his blazing trail of open mouthed kisses down from my belly button to the skin that had only just been uncovered. Despite his cool skin against mine, I felt like I was smouldering and he was just stoking the fire.

"Please," I whispered, begging as his fingers gently splayed my legs wider, continuing to massage my thighs while his lips moved over, instead of continuing in a straight line down, to pay attention to the thin, sensitive skin over the point where my hip bone stuck out. My hands went down to his head, wrapping my fingers in his hair so that I could guide him lower to where I really wanted his kisses.

I felt his rumbling growl rather than heard it. His eyes blazed up, watching me all the time as he moved, painstakingly slowly, over to my most intimate area. Then I got what I wanted. My eyes rolled and I threw my head back, a strangled cry coming from my lips as his tongue made contact.

"Watch, lover," he commanded and my head snapped up, my eyes open to stare back down at him. His grip on me changed again, one hand cupped my ass, so that I wasn't supporting all my weight and his other went to my lower back so that I wasn't going to fall. Balance was one of the last things I was thinking about while his tongue was on me.

The pressure built within me surprisingly quickly until I could hardly take it anymore, each breath was coming out as a gasp for air. It was then that he struck. I could already feel his fangs against me, the sharp points a constant 'danger' that just heightened the experience, but he moved his angle slightly so that his mouth pressed against the artery that ran through my groin. One of his hands left its position of holding me up so that his fingers could enter me and he bit, deep and deliciously, sending me spilling over the edge with a scream on my lips.

By the time I could focus my eyes again properly, I found that I was lying on the bed with Eric beside me, leaning over me so he could continue lavishing my body with attention. Somehow he still had on his jogging pants from earlier, a fact that made me quite annoyed; I needed him naked.

"That was," I started out and let my breathy voice trail off as I realised I couldn't think of the right word. It seemed to suffice though as he laughed slightly and stopped with his attentions to look up at me. "I have one issue," his eyes grew wide with shock. Oh he needed his ego bringing down a peg or two but right now was not the time for that. "Lose the pants," I told him with as much command as I could muster. A broad grin crossed his face in response, although he didn't make a move to undress fully. Instead he altered his position so that he was hovering above me, his face close enough for me to see nothing but him.

I needed to kiss him, yet I couldn't reach him. It was only when the frustrated whimper left my lips that he finally gave in to his teasing to kiss me, deep and forcefully, taking my breath away. I could taste the sweet metallic tang of my blood on his lips and tongue. I hooked my legs around his hips while using my hands to push down the top of his pants. He hadn't been listening to me.

"Please," I gasped as I broke away from our kiss to beg for what I wanted and I knew he needed. Teasing me, even as he nodded his head in agreement, he pushed forward with his hips, digging his cotton covered erection into me to create a little much needed friction. It didn't last long though, and my growling anger spurred him on to push them the rest of the way down, leaving us both marvellously naked. I could feel his cool skin all over me, taking the edge off the fire he'd sent burning over my body.

"Look at me," he commanded and I stared straight into his sea blue eyes. I placed a gentle kiss on his lips. I continued to watch him, feeling his every touch and just him underneath my hands as I roamed his body. Until he thrust inside me with one smooth, powerful move and he once again sent my eyes rolling.

"I was wrong earlier," he whispered in my ear as I was drifting into sleep in the early hours of the morning. "You really did just make my night." I smiled, not bothering to open my eyes and kissed his bare chest before sighing.

"Now, please, tell me why I wasn't invited to this little party." I woke up to the strange voice, definitely not a door_man_ coming from only a couple of feet away and I screamed as I bolted upright.

* * *

**So what did you think? Do you love this Eric? Cos I do lol. **

**Almost forgot, I had an idea for a new story the other day! A completely new story unlike any of the others that I have done. I even started writing it down and its back from the betas already (yes, they're that good) so once this story is over (i have no idea when that will be) i'll be able to start posting right away. If you want a proper sneak peak, drop me a line or something. **

**So, i think that somes it up apart from to say go vote for your favourite vilf via HBO. Good ol' Eric is currently leading with 60% of the votes. Have a good week! **


	9. Funny Findings

**Hello!**

**How are you? Have you had a good week? I'll warn you know this will be a rather long note with not all that much important in it lol. **

**I had a fantastic week; went to see Shrek the Musical last Saturday, I've been back to the British Museum (people still reading my work since GotD will know I quite like that place), I've been for a jog around Regents park, I went for a jog around a park that has mausoleums instead of benches (rather creepy, very good fun) and my world seemed to go True Blood mad lol. I have read Dead Reckoning, I won't spoil it for you but it's very good although I am getting apprehensive about the plot, the new trailer for True Blood came out with the soundtrack coming from Queens of the Stone Age (!), the underground is covered in Dead Reckoning posters, telephone boxes in Camden are covered in season 3 DVD posters, most of them saying VILF and I may have read ASkar's GQ interview. **

**Speaking of, well loosely in the topic area, I've had a couple of people ask me I was Swedish this week. It's weird that it's changed, people usually ask if I'm American. Ooooh, and I have a house for next year! With a garden and a proper bathroom! Not the silly airplane sized things they give us in student halls! **

**I still can't reply to reviews which actually pains me. Does anyone else have this issue/know how to solve it? If you do, drop me a line! I like replying to them. So in general response;**

**Tina died after Gran did I think, but she's still much surpassed her normal life span of the books and this is because it's AU. **

**It makes me happy to think all you guys love the Sookie/eric relationship in here, especially some faithful readers I've had who love them all. **

**Pam is awesome! I love Pam. She's very fun to write. **

**Right, finally, Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries and thank-you so much to my wonderful betas; campyrs and Trajedy99. **

* * *

"Sookie!" My name was shouted from two different directions at once. Eric clamped his hand down around my mouth, cutting off the strangled ends of my scream as my brain frantically tried to catch up with what was happening. "Calm down," my vampire told me quietly, his voice soothing. I relaxed, knowing I wasn't in any danger as he obviously knew whoever was sitting on the bottom of the bed.

"Pam!" He reprimanded the vampire who was staring at me intently, her gaze a little too low to be watching my eyes. It was then that I realised I hadn't grabbed the quilt when I'd set up which meant my chest was bare for all to see. I snatched at the quilt, covering myself quickly as I sank back into Eric's muscular chest. One of his arms he used to hold both of us up, the other he wrapped around my waist under the covers so it couldn't be seen.

Slowly Pam's eyes trailed up from my chest to my eyes where she paused to flash me a very toothy grin before finally turning to Eric. "You have a screamer," she drawled in an accent that really wasn't southern. It was something about the lilt in her voice that meant she wasn't just implying she'd heard what had happened during the early hours of the morning. For once in my life my cheeks didn't flush bright red; it was already pretty obvious what we'd been up to since we were naked in bed together and she could probably smell the sex.

"What are you doing here?" Eric asked, sounding annoyed and resigned all at once. It didn't appear that this was the first time that Pam had shown up unexpectedly at his house.

"I don't think the bar is safe so as a precaution I'm going to spend the day here." While they began bickering about her choice of coming to this particular flat I took my chance to take a good look her. The first thing I noticed was that she was beautiful; long, smooth blond hair a slightly darker shade than my own and pale blue eyes. Her features were soft yet partially hidden behind dark make up that told me she'd been on duty at Fangtasia and, annoyingly, she still managed to pull it off. It didn't match what she was wearing which appeared to be a pastel pink v-neck sweater teamed with cream slacks.

None of this actually answered what I wanted to know most of all; what the hell she was doing here and why the hell she had a key to Eric's place. He'd told me he only had three, one of them the doorman owned so apparently, this vampire held the third. He must trust her but why was she comfortable enough around him to walk into his bedroom without knocking when she knew he had company?

"Fine. I'll introduce myself." Pam's slightly louder voice broke through my internal ramblings. "I'm Pam, you must be Sookie." She smiled at me again, her fangs still out but made no other attempt to make contact with me. Vampires didn't like unnecessary contact and a polite hand shake upon meeting was always deemed unnecessary.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I replied automatically with an awkward smile on my face. It clicked then that this had been the vampire Eric had been speaking to at the bar, one of the two he'd forewarned when we'd been making our hasty retreat when there was about to be a raid.

"Did you two have fun then?" She asked and I recognised a very familiar sparkle in her eyes as she spoke the words.

"Pam, leave us." Eric commanded in a very cool tone that demanded compliance.

"Fine, I will be in my room if you want me," she was being suggestive again; one eyebrow arched and a half-grin on her pretty face.

"Just go!" Eric ordered again, his voice a little louder than before.

"I'm going." Pam got up smoothly and stalked across the room, closing the door behind her with a slight slam which left me and my vampire alone. I wasted no time in whirling around, leaning out of his space to face him.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down. Now that there was another vampire in the flat we only had the illusion of privacy unless we whispered.

"That was Pam, my child. She is, well, the only way to describe her is Pam. I have never met another one like her." Eric sounded exasperated, not defensive or guilty which is what I'd half anticipated from the comments Pam had made.

"What?" I asked, screwing my face up as I desperately tried to think everything through.

"I am her maker. I turned her in Victorian England about a century ago and she has been both a bane and boon to me ever since." Being turned in England definitely explained her accent.

He ran a hand through his long hair, pushing it back from his face. He eased himself back down onto the mattress, keeping himself partially propped up by the pillows. His chest was still bare and he made no move to shift the quilt even though it was hanging dangerously low on his hips since I had it clutched so tightly still.

"Then why is she still here?" I waved my free arm around, indicating that I meant in general, not just the specifics of tonight.

"She is the closest thing I have had to a friend in nearly a millennia. She does leave from time to time, yet she always returns when I need her or she needs me. Why she is here tonight specifically, I do not know. It is too close to dawn to turn her out. She is much younger than me and without certain gifts that would help her in such a situation."

"Why does she have a room here?"

"For convenience we share many bolt holes. I have not had the wanting to share them more closely with her in many decades so we have separate rooms." I nodded in understanding of what he was telling me. Yes, he'd had a sexual relationship with Pam but not for a very long time so she wasn't someone to be jealous of. It seemed to ring true as well, because despite her words it did seem that they were only teasing when I thought about the tone in which they'd been said. "Besides, she would not particularly want to join us. She would much prefer it that I was not here at all." My eyes got wide at his utterance before I took a deep breath and accepted it for what I was. I definitely wasn't one to judge anyone for their personal choices. It's just that being from a very small town, knowing something like that still seemed to come as a bit of a shock to me sometimes.

"So you just allow her to walk into your place whenever she feels like it?" Eric seemed so powerful and in command, it was hard to wrap my head around Pam's antics.

"Allow would be too strong a word for it. Put up with it would be better. I have tried, many times, in the past to curb her of her wild streak and to stay in line. It does not tend to go down very well with her. She always listens when it is important though and in public she remains subordinate so I relent on matters like this."

"Will she come in here again?" I asked, eyeing the door. I was beginning to feel myself relaxing again and Eric's bare chest was looking mighty enticing as he laid there against the pillows. My heart was finally beating a normal pace again and my breathing wasn't ragged anymore after the shock of finding her here.

"No, not unless she is called. She has had her mischief. She will be forced to do that tasks she dislikes at the bar for that. I have found forcing her to do unfavourable jobs is usually the way to go." A smile flickered across his lips then for a second while his eyes seemed slightly distant as though remembering all the times he'd tried, and failed, to discipline Pam properly. It was like a parent with an unruly teenager that likes mischief, yet isn't doing anything illegal and still gets good grades. You just didn't know what to do. I didn't press the matter any further though; reminding the all powerful vampire he had a weakness in the form of his child didn't seem like a smart thing to do.

"One more question."

"Go on then lover," he told me when I paused to figure out how to word me query. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the smile at the term he'd used for me.

"How did she manage to get in here? Um, why didn't you, ah, hear her before she got to the bed?" He sighed before answering.

"I was in downtime, resting my body and completely lost within my thoughts. I have become desensitized over the years to Pam's presence so I simply did not feel the need to react to her and this room is sound proofed; it muffled her slight noise somewhat. I did not know that she would wake you." I nodded in understanding and then let the quilt I'd been holding drop down to my waist, revealing my naked chest. Eric's eyes immediately went lower than my eyes, taking in every curve. He was looking entirely too enticing just lying there with his arms behind his head, showing off all his muscles and I simply needed him again.

With a smirk on my lips I crawled over to him, straddling his hips and pressing his, well it was a little difficult to think of the right description. Gracious plenty will suffice but I'll let you use your imagination. I pressed his gracious plenty between us, and quickly he hardened, only serving to make the grin bigger on my face. Moving very deliberately I leaned down to place an open-mouthed kiss on the center of his chest before moving up to kiss his lips deeply.

My hands trailed down to the muscles over his hips that created the deep v there. Keeping my touch light I moved upwards, skimming over the tight six pack of his abdomen until I reached his nipples. From there I traced over his pecs, across his shoulders, down over impressive biceps and taught forearms until I reached his wrists. I didn't need any more waiting; I still had adrenaline coursing through my veins, heightening every sense I had.

"You ready cowboy?" I asked quietly with my lips just barely touching his. I didn't want to pull back any further. Not bothering to wait for his response, I let one of his wrists go to ease my motions and then he was inside me, filling me up completely. "Fuck," I moaned at the sensations.

"As you wish," he moaned right back and with that I lost what little advantage I'd had. He spun us around so that I was on my back, my legs still wrapped tightly around his hips and he started to thrust, hard and fast, sending me tipping toward the edge faster than I could ever believe.

I couldn't formulate a sentence to get across what I really wanted and that was his fangs in my neck. I wanted the sweet, deep pleasure that his bite would bring, so close to being too much pain that it was a dangerous game to play. "Bite," I whimpered as I turned my head to the side, sending his lips and tongue away from my mouth. I felt, more than heard, his deep rumbling moan against the sensitive skin of my neck.

He peppered kisses along my jaw down to my neck. His cool tongue sent shivers running down my spine and I arched into him as he thrust into me at the same time he nipped the flesh where my shoulder met my neck. "Bite, please," I moaned loudly as I began to feel the overwhelming sense of pressure building up low in my stomach. Without a second's hesitation his mouth opened wide and he bit down, his sharp fangs sinking through my flesh to hit a blood vessel.

My blood pooled out into his mouth and I felt him beginning to suck, drawing out the thick liquid from me to drink it down with pleasure. I was so close. My hips were lifting up to meet his thrusts and all it took was one more deep suck to send me screaming over the edge. My vampire followed a few seconds later.

When I awoke later it wasn't because of any alarm clock or because the phone was ringing, I just naturally woke up, coming out of slumber slowly. It felt wonderful. My body was still languid and relaxed from my antics the night before although there was definitely a delicious ache between my legs that was just a wonderful reminder. I spent at least half an hour just lying, content and comfortable, in the bed without opening my eyes, just feeling Eric's cool, still body beside me. One of his strong arms was flung over my lower back with his hand resting on my bare hip, keeping me held toward him. The room was perfectly still and silent; the only disruption to the silence was my own rhythmic breathing.

By the time I finally opened my eyes, to find that one of the bedside lamps had been left on for my benefit, it was mid afternoon; I'd practically slept the day away. I half reached for the quilt to wrap myself up before I realised there was absolutely no point; there was no one awake to see me and even if Eric had been, he definitely wouldn't have minded me getting up naked; although the way he lavished my body with attention I probably wouldn't have got very far.

My only issue when I finally stood up was that I didn't have any clean clothes with me. My panties were just a scrap of lace on the floor somewhere, I didn't even bother looking for them, and my dress didn't look very inviting for a lazy afternoon. So, I padded over to the chest of draws and began rummaging for something of Eric's that would do. The next issue was that he was so much bigger than me that none of his track pants would fit me, I actually tried on a pair and they simply dropped straight down off of my hips. I ended up settling on a pair of his boxer briefs. They were still so large on me that I had to tug them up every few steps. It was weird, when I'd opened up his underwear drawer it had been a complete mix of styles; I'd never known a man be anything but boxers or briefs, never a mix. For a shirt I just grabbed a plain black t-shirt from another drawer and then went about my business.

After I'd used the restroom I did the next most important thing; I went out to the little hallway where I'd left my phone in my purse and dialled Amelia's number on my speed dial.

"Sookie!" She practically screamed on the phone when she answered; apparently she was too excited for a standard hello.

"Hi Ames, are you available to talk?" I asked, forgetting the preliminaries since she had as well.

"Well I'm very good thanks for asking," she laughed quickly. "Yes, I'm free to talk, what's up girl?" I hadn't moved from my place leaning up against the little cabinet when my eyes landed on the door just to my left and I began to wonder if I really had been left any food at all. My stomach certainly hoped so.

"You'll never guess where I am," I started out and let the excitement leak into my voice.

"In bed with Mr Delicious?" I burst outright laughing at that and how close to the mark she was.

"Not quite, but I was about five minutes ago which is why I need to talk to you." I opened the door, having to twist the built-in lock, now that I'd composed myself and found a small, yet well stocked food hamper sitting by the elevator. I sent a silent prayer up to whoever had been the one to bring it.

"Okay, so spill." I could just imagine her lounging in one of her comfortable chairs at home, one leg swung over the arm, the other curled up partly beneath her as she settled in for the gossip.

"I don't really know where to start," I muttered, stalling for time as I tried to put into order everything in my mind to something that Amelia would be able to follow.

"Start anywhere, I'll play catch up and ask questions if I need to."

"Okay, well yesterday Alcide came over to my place and we kind of a falling out." I picked up the basket and padded back into the apartment, locking the door behind me. My stomach grumbled again in a warning to hurry up and eat. "He got rather jealous of McFangy and we both ended up saying some stuff we regret. I slapped him and told him to get out in the end."

"Well, it's about time. You go girl!" She chirped down the line, sounding entirely too excited about me hitting one of my best friends. Perhaps I hadn't mentioned it, but Amelia wasn't on Team Alcide, or Team Sam for that matter. She firmly believed that I belonged with a vampire; she just wasn't entirely sure which one. I have to say though she was entirely more supportive of Sam than Alcide. "I'll bet he deserved it."

"You can't even let me finish this?" My words were harsher than my tone.

"Go on then, as long as I get some good details to make up for it," she giggled and for a couple of seconds I slipped into some good memories of the night before. It was only the sound of her clearing her throat that brought me back down to Earth.

"He's been different lately." She snorted down the phone. "He's been ignoring me and won't say what he's been doing, or who with. He's hiding something."

"Sookie, you don't need him in your life. He's not good for you; he still has a thing for you that neither of you can deal with. I think it's probably best if you just don't spend time with each other."

"That's the thing though; we found out that Sam was kidnapped by some Supe Shifters that shouldn't be in the area. I need Alcide's help or the Vampires and I could get into some serious trouble." I was rifling through the little hamper and found, to my utter delight, a small jar of coffee. It was safe to say that I wasted absolutely no time in putting on the kettle that looked like it had never been used, to make myself a steaming cup of caffeine.

"Well then, you have to suck it up. Don't you dare apologise to him though, he was in the wrong and he needs to know it. But after this is over, you need to let him go." Deep down I knew she was right although it really hurt to think that Alcide might not be a major part of my life after the next few days. "Wait, did you say Sam was kidnapped?" Her voice rose a couple of octaves.

"Yeah," I mumbled in reply. I took a deep sip of my coffee, not caring that it was still steaming as it seared down my throat, hot and delicious, just the way I liked it. "By some new Shifters. More importantly, no one knows exactly what they are; something new apparently."

"Holy shit," Amelia breathed on the other end. Yes it was a big deal; new breeds of Shifters didn't just materialise out of nowhere which meant something truly disgusting had happened. "So the vampires have agreed to help you get him back?"

"Well, they haven't said anything and of course, I can't really speak to any of them at the moment." My hands were busy inside the hamper again, rummaging around to see if I could find any snack food that wouldn't take any preparation. I struck gold with a box of granola bars and some fruit.

"Do you want me in Bon Temps?" She asked me sincerely; her tone was soft and we both wanted the hug she was just about dying to give me. It was so much better talking to her over Skype.

"Of course I do, I miss you but I honestly don't know whether it's the right thing to do or not," I replied quietly. I wanted my best friend, I always wanted her to be close, but we lived our separate lives quite well and bringing her up here would create new stress for both of us. However, she could offer her magical powers to help us out, if it came to that, even to just locate the new Shifters if the Vampires couldn't sniff them out. I just didn't know what to do. My hand was running through my hair and it only tugged when I hit one of the snags caused by my antics last night.

"Okay, well I'll tell you what, the offer will always stand and if you need me I can be there in a few hours, all you have to do is ask. I'll set some stuff up so I can leave on short notice."

"Okay, thank-you."

"Oh it's okay. I know you love me and that is good enough for me," she giggled and the sound of it worked to relax me. "Anyway, enough of the important stuff. Let's get to the _really _important things; give me all of the details from last night." We were off then, laughing and joking over the details I was willing to give her. Some things though I kept for my own memories to replay.

An hour passed while I was gossiping with Amelia about the finer points of sleeping with a Supernatural of any kind. It was strange; although she professed a Vampire would be the best for me all around, including the telepathy aspect, she was adamantly sticking to shifters for herself. By the time I hung up I'd munched my way through three granola bars, an apple, orange and a slightly green, exactly how I liked them, banana.

The silence in the apartment was actually oddly comfortable; especially as the people in the flat below had been out at work today and their flat had been devoid of any human brains. I was even relaxed enough to sing in the shower, knowing full well that I couldn't carry a tune if my life depended on it.

"I wonder what books he has," I mumbled to myself as I padded out into the living room and saw for the first time a small bookcase that had been obscured by one of the sofas when I'd passed by before. I was still towel drying my hair in the clothes that I'd slipped on not a few hours ago. There turned out to only be about three shelves of about three feet in length but it was diversely stocked; factual history, science fiction, action, horror and some books whose titles I couldn't even read. The language they were in was strange and there seemed to be more than one language represented; I'd have to ask him about that. With interest I eased two books from the shelf; one on the history of Victorian England and the other was The Fellowship of the Ring. Well, I was going to start reading those since there were not any romance books which were my usual go-to; light reading material.

I placed the damp towel over the radiator and got comfortable on the sofa. I started with the history book; my interest was piqued as he'd said that Pam had been turned at sometime during the era which meant that he'd experienced what I was about to read. It never ceased to amaze me that people I knew had lived through the things that made great stories and what I could only fantasize about.

Laughter bubbled in my throat at only the second page; in red pen, as though it was a school paper being marked, there were sentences crossed out. Here and there descriptive words had been changed and little titbits of information had been annotated in and around the margins. I could scarcely imagine Eric sitting down with a pen and reading through the book, crossing out the parts that were untrue, changing things to meet his expectations.

"What are you doing?" A deep voice asked me suddenly and for the second time that day I squealed as I was brought back down to earth with a very hard bump. It didn't take me as long this time to realise what was happening although my heart still had a chance to go racing in my chest.

"You scared me," I scolded him with a smile as I slapped his chest painfully when he sat down beside me. Technically I slapped his bare chest as he was only wearing a pair of tight boxer briefs that left little to the imagination which meant all of his delicious muscles were on show. "I am reading," I told him, completely meaning to sound condescending since he'd asked such an obvious question. "Don't you dare ask me why either mister. I was alone in the apartment and I prefer to read over watch T.V."

"Okay then," he replied and I didn't have to look at him to tell he was in a good mood this evening. "Why this particular book?" He tossed the Lord of the Rings onto the coffee table since I'd completely forgotten about it. When he sat back I couldn't help but notice he was closer to me and he wasted no time in sliding his arm along my shoulders.

"I was intrigued; you mentioned it last night so I thought I'd take a read. I didn't realise I was picking up the annotated version." I turned around to face him and was surprised to find him so close; there was barely a hairs breadth between our noses.

"I hate it when the books get details wrong. I take it I kept you entertained?" His eyes were sparkling, a brilliant bright blue.

"Oh yes," I replied, nodding slightly which just angled my head differently, bringing out lips closer together. "I don't think I have said good evening to you yet." I mumbled, completely transfixed on his close proximity and his oh so kissable lips.

"Good evening lover," he whispered, letting his breath ghost across my lips then he closed the distance between us to give me a passionate kiss. His hands went up to run through my damp hair as he leaned into me completely and my own hands reached up to entwine with his hair at the base of his head, pulling him down further. "You taste delicious," he mumbled. I responded by just tugging him back down to me and using the lack of contact to sink back onto the sofa so that he was above me. This time when his lips connected with mine our lips were parted so that our tongues could dance teasingly together.

"Again, why wasn't I invited?" Pam drawled from across the room. Eric didn't seem to care; he kept on kissing me as though he hadn't heard her speak which was impossible. I however, felt embarrassment wash over me in the form of a deep blush and I found his lips harder to respond to, even though I desperately just wanted to retire back to his bedroom. Slowly I pulled back, easing back on the response I was giving and ultimately he got the idea that I did care we had an audience.

"Pam, you try my patience," he almost growled. He didn't bother to move away from me; instead he just turned his head slightly. It was perfectly okay with me as his large frame was keeping me hidden from view.

"Whatever," she replied sounding utterly bored. Peeking around Eric I could see her standing just into the living room from the bedroom corridor, leaning against the corner. She'd done a complete one-eighty back to looking like the first time I'd seen her; heavy make-up, hair done expertly in a half up, half down style and her leather dress looked like it would be at home in any house of horror. "I thought you would want me to lend Sookie some clothes, unless you want her to go out in that." She nodded her head towards me with one eyebrow raised; she clearly already knew Eric's answer.

"Fine, give us five minutes." Eric commanded and flicked his hand, dismissing her in one movement. She walked away stealthily, still barefoot but with a pair of killer stilettos carefully grasped in her manicured hands. "Hmm, now where was I?" He mused quietly and before I could come up with any form of response, he was nuzzling my neck with his nose while he placed open mouthed kisses along my sensitive skin, earning a moan from me. "Oh, I think it was right there," he answered his own question, even his tone sounded smug.

"Eric, stop," I whispered, finding it difficult even to get the words out, never mind putting some confidence behind them so that he might heed me.

"You don't want me to." He punctuated every word with a kiss, ending at the end with a small, skin tingling nip that made me moan louder than before.

"Not really," I replied honestly and I felt him smile as he took a deep sniff of my neck. "But I need you to."

"Okay." He sighed against me, giving me one more kiss to my lips which I quickly responded to and then sat up, even pulling me with him. His hair was gorgeously dishevelled from where my fingers had been roaming through it and I had a feeling mine would look quite similar. My lips also felt swollen, and I gazed at his lips with a slight scowl; due to the lack of circulation he didn't have to worry about anything that he didn't want swelling. "You had better go to Pam; she will be able to give you some clothes to borrow." I nodded at him in appreciation and gave his cheek a quick peck, pulling back quickly when I realised the stubble really wouldn't help my situation.

I was already half way to the hallway when I realised I hadn't asked him a question that I'd been dying to know the answer to for several years but had never been able to ask. No other Vampire had known I was a telepath so it would have been dangerous to ask. "Eric?"

"Lover." I don't think I would ever get used to him calling me that.

"Do I taste different? You know, compared with normal humans because I'm a telepath?"

"Yes, you are exquisite." He closed his eyes lightly, savouring my taste from memory. "Better than the others."

"Okay." At least I had my answer now, however I wasn't entirely sure whether I liked it or not. Shaking my head to clear it of the thoughts swirling around in there I stepped quickly from the room in search of Pam.

"You can come in," she called out just as I was about to knock on the door that was only pushed to instead of shut. I didn't even bother thinking about how good her hearing must be; I don't think I'd ever get used to all the Supernatural powers they had. "Ah Sookie, looking delectable." She added as her eyes landed on me, a smirk on her ruby lips.

"Hi, ah, sorry about screaming at you last night," I told her sincerely with a blush spreading across my cheeks. She was already standing in the entrance to her extensive walk in closet since she'd been perusing the rails when I'd entered.

"Don't worry about it; I like a girl who screams." I definitely didn't want to think about that. Eric had promised me the walls were soundproofed. "So, what do you fancy? Corsets, skirts, PVC, sheer..." she let her voice trail off and I could tell she was enjoying the look of horror playing across my face entirely too much.

"How about just some jeans and a t-shirt or something?" I padded over to stand next to her and saw that what I'd requested was in short supply in this closet.

"As you can see, I don't have much of those items here. They're in my own home. This place is closer to the bar than mine so it makes sense to keep mainly work clothes here. I guess practical clothing is best for what you're going to be doing tonight." Her voice sounded ominous and there was a glint of mischief in her crystal blue eyes.

"What do you mean?" I hadn't heard anything about any plans at all for tonight; I'd assumed I'd go back home fairly soon, although exact plans would be reliant upon Eric since he had driven. Perhaps a quick trip to Fangtasia would have been expected; I was sure he'd want to check in with his bar since it was a great source of pride, joy and irritation for him.

"Oh, I think it will be far more fun to leave you hanging for awhile," she chuckled and before I could respond in any way she stepped back into the closet where she immediately started thrusting items at me. I had no choice but to catch them. "Try these on, see what fits best. Just be a doll and hang everything else back. Now, unless you need my help," she paused with one eyebrow arched until I emphatically shook my head. "I'll go to our dear boy." Despite the awkwardness of the situation I giggled at her referring to Eric as 'boy'; he was one of the most masculine men I'd ever met. He was so masculine no one even bothered to question his long, longer than mine, hair in a beautifully light shade of blond I don't think I'd ever see naturally on a human.

Pam left the room then, shutting the door softly behind her, leaving me to change. I had no issue finding a plain black sweater made from the softest wool I'd ever felt, it had a v-neck that was just high enough to be respectable. At least the sleeves went down to my wrists properly. Jeans however were a different matter; Pam was at least a size smaller than me and about three inches shorter. She could also squeeze into clothing since she didn't have to breathe. Lucky for some. I finally settled on a pair of slightly stretchy skinny jeans in a deep blue. I also pinched a pair of ankle boots, thanking God that I had small feet, so it didn't matter that the jeans were too short. It wasn't until much later that I'd realise how strange it was to find these items in Pam's closet, pastels were much more her thing.

As she'd asked I put everything else back and then walked into the living room to find Eric and Pam in deep conversation using a language I didn't know. Even though I didn't understand a word I could just somehow tell they were talking about me. If anything was a bad sign; that was. No one wanted two Vampires talking in secret about them.

"You ready to see your other man?" I saw a flicker of a smug grin cross Eric's lips when it was evident that I didn't have a clue what Pam was talking about. Pam just rolled her eyes. "Alcide. I think you'll be getting to know the real side of your Were tonight."

"Okay. What the hell is happening tonight?" I asked the question to both of them. It was Eric who replied, now fully dressed in his normal Fangtasia gear yet already back to lounging on the sofa.

"We are going to get your Shapeshifter back."

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**So what did you think? You know I love feedback almost as much as I love a certain Viking vampire. Thanks for reading and I'll be back next week, possibly Thursday since it's a long weekend next week. **


	10. Run

**Hey, **

**How are you? Had a good week? **

**I'm going to try and keep this short so, thanks to my wonderful betas who really helped fix up this chapter a lot, campyrs and Trajedy99, couldn't do this anywhere near as well without them. Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries, i just own a newly purchased box set of True Blood season 3 that i may have watched in entirity already lol. **

**I still can't reply to reviews so i'm glad that you really like the last chapter. Pam is definitely awesome, one of my favourite characters and she will definitely be coming back some time soon. I also happen to like Sam, more so in the books so, well you'll see in this chapter. You're right as well, something is up with Alcide, it's just a question of what. **

**I've had a few cocktails so, go on and read the chapter!**

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Half an hour later we pulled up in the parking lot out outside of an oddly quiet Fangtasia. The sun had set over an hour ago and yet no one at all was waiting outside for the doors to open. I'd just turned to Eric to ask him what was going on when he answered before I'd spoken.

"Tonight is the one night that Fangtasia is closed." I nodded my acceptance and started unbuckling my seat belt. Of course, just like the night before on our date, Eric had the door open for me and had his hand ready to help me out before I could even think about opening the door myself. I guess chivalry really was dead.

"Are you ready to tell me what's going on?" I asked as we walked swiftly toward the staff entrance at the back of the bar. The parking lot was fairly quiet, a few older cars that had obviously been left behind last night from patrons too drunk to drive and a couple of new, sleek sports cars that had to be owned by vampires.

"I think we will wait for the Were for that." Eric had been resolutely silent on anything to with the matter of what was happening tonight. He'd actually been quite chatty in the car, which in itself was odd, about the most strange of topics such as the differences in our education, what I knew about Europe and whether I'd spoken to Amelia recently. He was just trying to keep me distracted; it didn't take much intelligence to figure that out.

I sighed in frustration and let him lead me through the padlocked and security card door to the behind the scenes rooms at Fangtasia. Honestly it was only that he'd told me we were going to get Sam back tonight that I was being this complacent. I could feel two other vampire brains within the quiet bar and a single human was down in the cellar area, checking off an inventory, she was humming inanely to herself.

"Who's the human?" I asked as Eric got his keys out to unlock the door to his office. He looked at me, startled for a split second, before he schooled his features into one of recognition.

"You are powerful," he whispered quietly, and if I hadn't known better I would have said it was awe in his voice. If there's one thing I knew, vampires didn't get awe in their voice about a human. Most seemed to think we were lower beings. "That is Ginger. She has been glamoured a few too many times so we cannot let her go. She gets her jobs done without too much fuss and seems to actually enjoy our company." An amused smile crossed his lips for an instant. "She has a house nearby which she shares with one of the waitresses. She is good for doing basic tasks." That explained the inane humming without a tune and why she wasn't at all bothered by doing a stock check, a task that was usually so boring you were ready to tear your hair out within ten minutes. At least they were keeping her around instead of throwing her out on the street like many other vampires would do.

Eric stepped inside his office first then closed the door firmly behind me, leaving me to check out his office once again. It appeared to be pretty much exactly the same as the last time I'd seen it. Of course I couldn't be quite sure as I hadn't really been thinking properly the last time I was here. It was practical yet comfortable, designed to be relaxing as long as you were on the correct side of the desk.

"Here you go," Eric said, making my eyes snap from their wandering gaze around the office to him. He was standing just to the side of his desk with a can of Pepsi Max he'd just pulled out of his mini fridge held out toward me.

"Thanks." I took the can from him, pulled the loop and took a long, refreshing swig. "So when does this plan start?" Eric's back was to me as he waited for the bottle of True Blood he'd just put into the microwave to finish heating up. He didn't particularly like them, he usually joked they'd bore him into an early grave, but they provided him with all the nutrition he required. I would have to ask him about his feeding habits sometime soon. Oh boy, that was going to be an uncomfortable conversation.

"We are just waiting for your Were friend to get here." The microwave pinged cutting him off from saying anything else, even if he had intended to, which I doubted. He took the bottle out, took a long swig that caused him to pull a slightly sour expression, and then took a seat in his comfortable office chair. "Join me," he added after another deep chug of his synthetic blood. He patted the tall backed armchair in the corner of the room, just about within arm's length of where he sat at his desk. I nodded but of course by the time I'd walked the three steps over to where it was, he had already pulled it closer to his chair so I would be sitting only a few inches away. "Get comfortable." to emphasise his words he stuck his legs up on the corner of the desk, crossed at the ankles and just at the right angle so that his boots didn't touch the polished wood.

"How do you know where Sam is?" I asked quietly, hoping that he would answer a sort of indirect question about tonight's plan of action. He pulled out a partially hidden shelf on his desk, which housed the computer's keyboard, and began typing away, at a ridiculous speed, his login details.

"I have eyes and ears all over the city." He glanced my way quickly and saw that I really wasn't placated by that answer. "Fine," he huffed, letting out a breath that he hadn't needed to take in the first place. "Last night after we discovered the meeting I let Pam know about what you had discovered."

"Wait, Pam knows about me?" I'd just interrupted a very powerful vampire and judging by his expression he really wasn't used to people doing that.

"Not really. She knows you're different as does probably every Supernatural that meets you but she doesn't know specifically although I do not really understand why you keep it such a secret. It is a great gift."

"Yeah right, being practically tortured in your own head as you grow up is a gift."

"It is if you know how to use it." He grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly, yet not so much that he caused me any discomfort. "Tell the people you trust; tell other Supes that you know. You will find that it is not such a big deal." He still held my hand when he brought our entwined fingers up to his lips to kiss the back of my hand before placing my hand on his lower thigh so that he could go back to typing.

"Pam and one of our employees went to scout the area around the pub they had been using as a meeting office. They were able to follow two separate shifters back to the same block of flats. The place reeked of this new shifter and underneath all that, the scent of a true shifter. I put this plan into action just after you had fallen asleep."

I was just about to respond when the door to Eric's office opened, cutting off any words I'd been about to say. A wave of rage hit me like a wall as Alcide strode into the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that I thought it might actually rebound to swing open again.

"Nice manners," Eric goaded him with a smug grin.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on? I get a phone call practically in the middle of the night, commanding me to attend Fangtasia at a certain time by request of Sookie. What are you up to Fanger?" His blazing eyes shot to me as he said my name but that was the only attention I actually got. However, his eyes spent a good few seconds taking in how Eric and I were sitting. It probably didn't help that once the fury had swept over me I'd cringed into Eric's shoulder, putting us in even closer proximity.

"When else am I going to be able to contact you?" Eric asked with apparent boredom, having returned his eyes to the computer screen which was opened to his email account for Fangtasia, after Alcide had started speaking. "I waited until just before dawn; it was nearly six this morning. I would have thought you would be awake, having your contracting business to run and all. Unless you were busy last night and didn't get much sleep." I couldn't quite explain why but Eric's last sentence seemed to be a veiled threat. That was definitely how Alcide took it; his pupils constricted to pinpricks, and a deep growl began to rumble through his impressive chest. I had to admit I was curious as to what information Eric actually knew about Alcide's whereabouts last night. He was a grown man of course, he could do what he liked and he definitely didn't need to answer to me, but still, with his reaction it just made me want to know even more.

"So what do you want then? I'm here."

"We are going to rescue the shapeshifter Sam Merlotte. I now possess the knowledge of his whereabouts and it is imperative that we get him back quickly." Eric finally looked up from his computer screen to lock his eyes with Alcide's steely gaze.

"What makes you think you know where he is? I've had my people out searching for days!" This was the first I'd heard of this information; it would have been nice to have been kept in the loop.

"Yes, well, perhaps my people are just superior." I could feel the testosterone level in the room rising with every passing word. "We found a meeting place and followed several members back to the same place. The place was laced with fresh Shapeshifter scent."

"How do I know I can trust you? I have half a mind to walk out of here and call this all lies."

"I can give you my word the Shapeshifter was there last night. My word is my oath." Eric stood up, the roller desk chair he'd been sat on going flying back into the cabinets behind us with an alarming bang. I'd only just managed to whip my hand out of the way and lean back, out of harm's way. If I hadn't felt the tension flow through him the instant before he'd moved, well I probably would have been nursing at least some instant bruises.

"I can't take your word for shit!" Alcide growled out again, his voice going lower than I'd ever heard it.

"Well, shit," I muttered to myself quietly. Alcide's chest was moving rapidly with the deep breaths he was taking. A thin sheen of sweat was visible around his collar bones thanks to the low necked tank top he was wearing underneath his open button down shirt. My eyes snapped to back to Eric as he slowly stalked, the long way, round his desk to come and stand before Alcide.

It was strange but, even with the tension in the room getting so bad that it felt like it was crushing the air from my lungs, my brain still took the time to take in the little things. The way Eric's blue eyes had deepened to the colour of the ocean and how he carried himself proudly upright with his shoulders set squarely, making him seen even taller than he already was. Looking back at Alcide was like seeing a reflection in a perverse mirror; his shoulders were straight, he was just as tall apart from maybe a centimetre and if looks could kill Eric wouldn't be anything more than a big pool of gunk on the office floor. Alcide was darkness to Eric's light; child-like pale blond hair with the almost black tones of Alcide. Alcide even had a tan which, well, Eric never would have.

"Okay, guys," I said as I stood up without even considering what I was doing. If I had paused to think, I would have simply run from the room and never looked back. You don't want to be anywhere near a powerful Were and a thousand year old vampire squaring up for a fight.

"My word is all I can give you." No matter what, Eric was loyal and oddly trustworthy in the sense that once you had his word, he wouldn't break from what he'd promised you.

However, I just walked closer to them when neither of them responded. "Stop it!" I shouted louder, my gaze flailing between the both of them.

"So I'm just expected to put my Pack in danger for one lowly Shapeshifter? My loyalties lie with my people; I won't put that aside for the _word_ of a Vampire!"

"Fuck," I mumbled to myself. "Stop!" I yelled as loud as I could as I strode purposefully in between them. They'd were now edged so close together, probably better for lunging at each other's throats, that I could stand between them with a hand on their chests. "Now!" I screamed at them, whipping my head from side to side to see if what I was doing was making any difference. It was quite a contradiction standing behind them, the different sensations I was getting from the different sides; Eric was all tension with a cold edge while Alcide's chest heaved with his breathing and the heat practically seared my hand.

"Both of you; shut the fuck up and sit down!" I growled out, pushing on Alcide's chest; Eric was as immovable as a boulder, I was more likely to get the Were out of the way. My harsh words seemed to get through to them; Eric took one step back while Alcide's eyes snapped to my face. With one large huff, all the air left his lungs and he seemed to deflate, sinking down a few inches.

"Sorry Sookie," he mumbled quietly as he too stepped back so that I was just standing on my own in the middle of the office.

"Yeah well, don't pull that again." I stared hard into his eyes, letting him see the determination in them before blinking and returning my attention to my Vampire. Slowly I trailed my hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders, putting on a gentle pressure so that I could ease him backwards, hopefully into his chair. "Eric gave you his word, you can trust that. And if you still can't, trust me; he knows where Sam is." As soon as I'd said the words some of the tension seeped out of Eric's muscles and he allowed me to ease him backward, until he finally, sitting back in his office chair. I didn't take my hands off him; instead I made my way to stand behind his chair so that I could keep in contact with his strong, muscular shoulders.

"Fine," Alcide growled from across the office as he slumped down into one of the guest chairs. I could practically see his muscles throbbing with the anger that boiled through him. "What's your plan Vampire? Why am I involved? Wait, even better, why is Sookie involved?" I let that one slide because if I got angry there would be no one calm in this room to stop everything from escalating beyond control. I seemed to be letting a lot of things slide recently where Alcide was concerned; he'd even called Sam a mere Shifter. The superior attitude that Weres ultimately seemed to adopt was getting tiring.

"You are involved because I was honourable enough to bother calling you. I can handle this matter by myself if you would prefer to deliver the message back to your _Pack_ that a Vampire was responsible for getting one of your cousins back." Eric's words were calm on the surface but they dripped with venom, showing nothing but contempt for the Were sitting across the desk.

"No. I am duty bound to protect the pack and its friends." He shot me a small glare, so quick that had I not been looking at him I would have missed it entirely. "I need to get Sam back." At least he wasn't being overtly derogatory anymore. I really needed to have a damned good conversation with that man about what the hell was going on with him recently; he'd changed. "I can't sit back idly and let the Vampires do what is rightfully my work. There would be an uproar."

The Vampires and Weres of Shreveport had a hate-hate relationship and rarely did they get along. It would be interesting to know if such a level of hatred was found in all cities. From what I'd gathered through the Shifters in my life it was a deep running dislike for Vampires but there always seemed to be something more. I couldn't be bothered thinking about it, as long as there was no blood loss it would be okay. Tensions were always fraying and fists would continue to fly for years to come but with the overall situation, there wasn't anything an outsider could do to help. I still felt guilty, because no matter how indirect my part really was, it seemed that I was making the rift between the two species wider, mainly since it was between two such influential men.

"Why Sookie? You never answered that part of my question." I sighed, loud enough for both me and Eric. I wanted Alcide to hear me.

"She is a grown woman and she chose to do this." I didn't bother to point out that I hadn't really been formally asked, because I would have chosen to help out. It probably wasn't the best situation to bring that little point up.

"Fine!" Alcide barked out, his voice gravelly and rough. He didn't say anything further, just sat and waited for Eric to tell him his plan. I leaned forward slightly, still standing behind Eric's office chair so that I could hear his quiet voice even clearer.

"What the hell goes on in that brain of yours?" I whispered to Eric as we sat inside a very nice truck he'd managed to rustle up from somewhere. It was obviously new, it was fitted with many upgrades and it looked very expensive. Of course, Alcide and Eric had managed to chat amicably during the ride over to the other side of Shreveport discussing the finer points of the engine and such; I hadn't paid all that much attention to be honest. The tension was definitely back up now as we prepared to actually get out of the truck.

"Oh, I do not think you can handle my thoughts," Eric whispered back suggestively, his voice low and more of a rumble. I was leaning into him so that I could see the block of flats stretching up about ten storeys into the sky. The building was only about twenty metres away, easily within my distance on such a quiet night with only a Shifter and a Vampire around me. The truck itself was mostly hidden by the shrubbery spilling out from the old children's playground we were parked next to. Perhaps I should have put abandoned in there as well for it definitely hadn't been used in at least a decade. I didn't actually need to see the building to be able to hear the thoughts of the people inside; however it definitely helped to direct my telepathy. Plus, there was a very nice chest to lean against.

"For God's sake." Alcide huffed from in the back.

Eric had spun my words around on me, ruffling Alcide's feathers, or well, fur in the process. I had only meant I had no idea how he had managed to come up with such a plan on such short notice. It was crazy enough that it might actually work and if not, well, I trusted him to get us out of any sticky situation.

_What time is it?_

_Just after 11_

_I'm gunna go see the missus then, he won't be back for at least an hour. _

_Alright you lucky bastard_

I swiftly clamped my shields down as tight as they would go, trying to stop the mental flood of images that began to accompany those words. It was weird enough hearing the conversation through the non speaker's mind without having to see visuals of the antics of each of them in turn, with the same woman without the other knowing.

"It's as good a time as we're going to get," I stuttered out with a shudder, trying to shake the creepiness from my mind.

"I'll see you back here. Half an hour." With that Alcide hopped down gracefully from the back row of the cab and loped off toward the building where he would go for a frontal approach; that meant that he would be speaking to them directly, stating clearly who he was.

"Our turn," Eric whispered to me, letting his cool breath breeze over my ear. He was excited, I didn't even have to look at him to know that, the emotions were coming off of him in waves and he almost throbbed with energy at the prospect of a fight, even though he had told me this plan would go down much better if fighting wasn't involved. The whole idea was for me and him to go entirely unnoticed.

"_The difference between a warrior and a leader. A warrior will fight any battle but a leader knows when fighting is not the best way forward." He told me quietly so that Alcide wouldn't hear as we walked out from his office back toward the staff parking lot. "Usually." He added with a soft chuckle as he slung his arm possessively around my shoulders to show me the way. _

As quietly as I could manage, I slithered down from the passenger seat and closed the door behind me, easing it into the catch so that the sound wouldn't resound around the still air. I had never been to this part of Shreveport before, hell I'd never even heard about this area of Shreveport. We were only about a two minute walk from one of the busiest neighbourhoods in the city and this was apparently the runt of a little sister that had prospered many decades ago only to fall into disrepair when the other area had become better loved.

We looped around the back of the small square that still housed rusty playing equipment so that we were closest to the back of the building. Alcide was going in from the right-hand side where the main doors were in an off-centre area, we were going from the left so that as soon as we hit the corner of the building we would be out of sight. Eric was just tall enough to be seen above the shrub line, his brilliantly blond hair would have been easily recognisable in the darkness so he had to stoop. Luckily for me, being short paid off and all I had to do was concentrate on not falling as I planted my feet quietly on the cement.

"He's at the main doors now. We have to run for it before they come out." His voice wasn't even a whisper in the night; it was simply a breath with a hint of words that I only heard because of how close together we were currently standing. I nodded and got into position to do a low to the ground sprint across the deserted road but before I could move he spun himself around, grabbed my hands and pulled, softly, otherwise I would have been in serious pain. It was enough to give me the idea so I lightly jumped up onto his back, my arms wrapping around his neck snugly while my legs did the same with his waist. We were both covering as much skin as possible; the issue with being so pale was that you seemed to glow in the darkness. Of course, Vampires always had a little glow about them to me anyway.

My breath caught in my throat as he stepped out from out coverage and into the night, completely silent. My eyes were trained on the hulking figure of Alcide who was standing just outside of the gloom of the recessed main entrance. He was gesturing with his hands and even through the dim light I could see he never once turned his attention in our direction.

Eric's pace never faulted, it was like he wasn't carrying a fully grown woman at all. He blended in with the darkness and shadows, easily seeing exactly where he was going and he kept his pace steady so as not to draw attention by moving too swiftly. With one final step we were beside the corner of the building, between the first window and the corner. Slowly, so as not to tumble, I eased my legs down to the ground and unravelled my arms.

Eric didn't say anything to me yet as soon as my feet were on the ground he was giving me a look that clearly said I was moving entirely too slowly for him. He gripped my hand, ensconcing my little one tightly inside his so he could pull me along. We walked swiftly past every window even though it was clear that every single one had the drapes shut and by sticking close to the wall, no one from above would be able to see us.

"Let me in! I come as a messenger from the Long Tooth Pack!" Alcide's voice filled the night with a commanding tone, yelling out to whoever's attention he had. I couldn't afford the concentration it would take to listen in to see how he was faring. My mind was taken up by scanning every room we were passing for signs of my Shifter friend.

_Fuck! _It was a single word that I heard, nothing that different about it really. It was the wave of pain that swept over me that made me stop in my tracks, placing my hand on Eric's forearm to stop him as well. With my eyes shut lightly I concentrated, beating down the nausea inducing feelings that were beginning to almost feel like my own. Somewhere up above, bound roughly and in agony, Sam sat waiting for something to change. He wasn't conscious enough to make out proper thoughts, it was all he could do not to scream out against the pain until his voice was raspy and his throat was raw.

"Where?" Eric asked quietly, now grabbing both of my elbows to offer his support. At some point in the past couple of seconds my legs had started to shake.

"About four storeys up, maybe two rooms over to the left." Four storeys was just high enough to make even a shifter think twice, especially when injured, about jumping out of the window if he got free of his bindings.

"Come on," Eric whispered to me, leaning me up against the side of the building. Even through the thick cotton of the shirt I was wearing I could feel the roughness of the bricks, the fragments that fell away with each tiny movement I made. I fought to get my shields back up so I wouldn't have to listen to Sam's turmoil. It was weak of me but I just couldn't function listening to him suffer.

Eric was standing in front of the window next to me, his fingers running down along the old wooden frame where the window would open, swinging outward. He didn't need me to tell him that there was no one in this room; he could tell that for himself just by listening. With his muscles flexing he suddenly tugged on the wood, hooking the tips of his fingers around the joint as soon as he could. The groaning creak of the wood made me shudder; it seemed so loud in the still of the night. I could tell his forearms were flexing with the effort of doing this as quietly as possible, it would have been so much easier to yank the window from its hinges or smash the pane of glass.

"Come on," he whispered again when the window was finally open far enough for us to climb through although it hung down at an odd angle. The room inside was pitch black, obviously not in use. "I don't think anyone paid that any attention." There definitely wasn't alarm in anyone's mind. My shields were up but I hadn't clamped them into place, letting me hear snippets of thoughts or flashes of images. It was difficult enough to hear Supernaturals anyway but I would at least get their general intentions.

I didn't even get a chance to think about how I was going to climb through the window which was at chest height for me with no visible leverage for me to heave up onto first. I went from standing facing the window to hanging in the air in less than a second, my hand covering my mouth to stop the yelp of panic that bubbled through me until I realised what was happening. Eric's large hands had grabbed my waist, hoisting me up into the air as though I weighed nothing, so high that his arms were up above his head so that I could easily step over the bottom pane of glass, through the open window and onto the sill.

I scrambled to find purchase on the slippery, dust covered sill and grabbed the frame for support, not caring that I could feel the old wood splintering in my grip. His hands never left my waist until I was standing securely. From there it was an awkward shimmy to sit down on the ledge before stepping down lightly onto the old carpeted floor. I'd barely taken one step to get away from the window when Eric, ever graceful, was standing beside me ready to lead the way. It must be so much easier at times to be a Vampire.

He cocked his head to the side, listening intently for any signs that someone had heard our entrance. He didn't say a word; he didn't need to, when he turned to face me, one eyebrow raised in questioning. I shook my head in reply, '_No, I can't sense anything'_. There was no more reassurance needed. We set off through the pitch black room, Eric in front and me following in his footsteps so closely that if I wasn't careful I would be at risk of tripping. The only way I could see anything was from the slight glow of his skin.

When we reached the door after only eight paces, I counted them in my head, and opened it light flood into the room, lighting it up so that I could see where we were. We seemed to be in some form of old lounge, armchairs were pushed along the walls, some covered with dust sheets other not and every ten feet or so a low coffee table rested, the layer of thick dust on the top hiding their true colour. At least I knew why the room had seemed so small in the darkness; it was long, running along what seemed to be most of the length of the building while being narrow enough to be crossed in seconds. I didn't have time to take anything else in from the drab room because as soon as he was sure the coast was clear, Eric was tugging me carefully down the hallway towards the sign indicating the stairwell. There weren't many doors down here; most of the rooms were storage areas and a small communal kitchen so we weren't in much danger of being caught, yet.

The stairway was dimly lit, just one single emergency light per level casting deep shadows, perfect for lurking. The swinging doors shut noisily behind us, making me cringe as it ricocheted down toward the basement and up toward the flats that actually held Shifters. We didn't bother to pause to see if anyone had heard, instead we began to run up the stairs, Eric easily gaining the lead as he leapt up them three at a time. He never got more than a flight ahead of me, so that I could see him, and I knew he was preparing to be discovered, protecting me even though the danger wasn't really imminent. I could sense the Shifters in the building getting anxious, there were perhaps twenty of them, I didn't stop to count, and all by now had heard of the chaos taking place at the main entrance.

"Stop!" I stage whispered, my breath coming out too uneven for anything quieter, when we reached the fifth floor. So I'd misjudged slightly earlier, it was difficult to estimate distances when you had no reference of the building. "Over here," I amended quickly when he had whirled around to face me, already on the landing for the fifth floor while I was between storeys. My legs were burning with the exertion of running up all the steps, two at a time to try and keep pace with the vampire. Surprisingly my soft soled boots had made very little noise as I clambered up.

"Be careful, there are Supes on this floor," he whispered into my ear as I paused beside him to gain my breath back before we went onto the floor itself. I could feel Sam's pain now, even with my shields as clamped as I dared put them. Through the natural cloud that is a supernatural brain and the familiarity of Sam making it easier for me to shut him out, he must have been in a world of torture. Without thinking I stuck my hand out to grasp Eric's forearm, pushing back the cuff of his jacket so I could feel his cool skin against mine, calming me down and blocking out some of the things in my head. He didn't move away, instead he just stood there, waiting patiently for me to be able to move.

"Okay," I breathed; my breathing back to normal. Slowly he stepped forward, letting my hand linger against his skin until he opened the door and stepped carefully into the corridor. I didn't need to tell him which way to go, instinctively he turned left and stopped at a door two doors down, where he cocked his head to listen warily. "It's just Sam," I mumbled as quietly as possible, leaning up into him so I could be even quieter. I could feel the brains of three more shifters on this floor, the closest one only two doors down although thankfully he seemed a little preoccupied.

After a second longer, and a deep sniff to back up his hearing, Eric nodded and grasped the door handle in one strong hand. With a jerk that sent the screaming sound of snapping, tearing metal all around us he broke the lock and swung the door inward to reveal a short hallway. "Inside!" I hissed, pushing on his back for extra emphasis. As soon as the noise had sounded one brain, a female shifter, had become alert, wondering what the noise was. Of course, Eric hadn't heard this, he couldn't read her mind. As soon as we were inside, with my heart pumping madly inside my chest I shut the door behind us, hoping there was no evident signs of the break in because my golly, she was determined to find out what the hell had happened.

"She's coming," I mumbled, trying not to let panic over ride me. There was no chance to think of what to do, Eric pushed me, albeit carefully, to the side so that he was standing in front of me, crouching slightly, ready for a fight.

_Nothing_. It was just a general thought, accompanied by a still, white image from her brain as she drew closer, padding silently down the hall toward us. She'd expected to see the prisoner stumbling about in the hallway looking desperately for an escape route. She would have enjoyed the beating she could give him for that.

"Brace the door!" It was as quiet a plea as I could manage and it came from nowhere. There was no time to analyse what I'd heard, or the general impression I'd been able to pick up from her mind. Eric didn't hesitate, oddly trusting my command. He stepped up to the door, pushing his weight against it and holding the handle tightly in his hands so that it would give the illusion of being locked. She was right outside the door the next instant, I could hear her as clear as I was ever going to, still wondering what had made the noise since she'd seen no signs of anything amiss.

She reached out a hand then and jiggled the handle, finding that it was still locked. I thanked God that she didn't have the key to this room when she gave up, rather quickly, after one more attempt. I actually heard her, with my ears, huff as she stormed away, annoyed that the fleeting hope she'd had for giving a beating had been taken away from her. Eric waited until she had reached the corner of the corridor and entered her room again before standing back, carefully so it wouldn't swing open, from the door.

"She is gone, calm down or they might be able to smell your fear." Eric stooped slightly, looking me directly in the eye as he spoke with his hands resting gently on my shoulders, his thumbs rubbing circles. "You have to get your friend." I nodded solemnly, closed my eyes for a second to lock down my shields as tightly as possible and spun around to find Sam.

"Sam!" I cried out, louder than I intended as I dashed into the atrocious bedroom that currently housed him. The single flickering light bulb that hung from the ceiling was enough for me to see his crumpled form on the ground.

Sam was curled up as much as he could on his side with his wrists tied painfully behind his back. From clear across the room I could see the angry red marks around his wrists where the rough ropes were digging into his skin. He was only wearing his jeans; everything else had been lost somewhere along the way. Although I couldn't see his chest, I imagined it was just as covered in bruises and welts as his back. His usual disarray hairstyle was gone; his strawberry blond locks were now plastered against his head with grime and sweat.

"Oh, Sam," I gushed as I reached him, my hands outstretched but not quite daring to actually touch him. His eyes flickered open, unfocused yet trying desperately to lock onto something he wasn't quite sure was actually there. It was a mess inside his mind, nothing making any sense and throughout the turmoil the agony overwhelmed.

"Sam, come on, it's me Sookie," I soothed, finally deciding that it wouldn't hurt him any further to brush his hair back from his clammy forehead; he was the coolest I'd ever felt him. His eyes stopped gazing to the right of where I knelt; now his blue eyes flickered over me, not quite believing I was real.

"Sookie?" His voice rasped out, sounding like his throat was sand paper.

"It's me, I'm here." I replied and his eyes finally focused. "Hey," I added when I saw the recognition on his face.

"Why are you here?" He asked, long pauses between each word. He made no attempt to sit up, or even move at all, he just stared at me.

"I've come to get you."

"How?" He asked and I heard the disbelief in his mind, he couldn't comprehend that I'd managed to get all this way on my own.

"Eric and Alcide," I explained, trying to keep things to a minimum, knowing that it was difficult for him to think properly when he was in a pit of pain. "Eric," I said again and instantly he was by my side, crouching down to my eye level once more. "Can you untie his hands?" Eric didn't reply, instead he just eased behind Sam and snapped the rope with his bare hands. As soon as the pressure was released a deep sigh resonated from his chest and I felt the relief in his head, the sharp pain disappearing to just an all over ache. "Do you think you can move?"

"Maybe," he replied, sounding stronger even with just the ropes no longer digging into him.

There was no need to ask for Eric's help and even being this injured I knew Sam wouldn't ask for help from a Vampire, it just wasn't in his nature. Slowly, so as not to jar his already hurting body, Eric grasped him underneath his upper arm, until he could slide his other arm beneath Sam. Eventually, with a lot of groaning on Sam's part, as even moving carefully jostled his aching, stiff joints, he was sitting on the floor, with his head lolling slightly toward his chest.

"How you doing?" I asked him, one hand resting gingerly on his shoulder between the black bruises.

"Okay, I can do this." Sam replied resolutely, picking his head up to lock eyes with me, purposefully avoiding Eric who was still supporting his other side.

"Get his other side," Eric instructed and I wrapped his arm around my shoulders so I could take as much of his weight as possible. Eric changed his grip to under Sam's elbow; he was too tall to go for the same grip as me. "Lift." All three of us struggled at the same time, well two of us struggled; Eric just eased himself to a standing position. "We need to move." I nodded, holding my breath as I strained against Sam's weight. He was managing to balance himself but he couldn't put much weight on his bare feet which were as scraped up as the rest of him.

"Sorry Sookie," Sam rasped out as we stumbled toward the door. As much as it pained him, emotionally and his pride, he leaned more heavily against Eric, trying to save me some trouble.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry for this Sam Merlotte, you ain't got nothing to be sorry for. Now, you just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other."

"Sookie," Eric cautioned, talking about how loud I was speaking. I nodded and hugged Sam, softly, around the waist to tell him I was there to support him.

We eventually reached the door way, which Eric pulled open roughly while both of us listened carefully for any signs of the shifters in the building. The corridor was clear, no one in close proximity was paying us any attention; everyone was intent on the news of Alcide by the main entrance. So it was with a steady pace that we set off down the corridor.

"Why couldn't you fly us out or in?" It wasn't the only question I had about this entire mission but with the stagger worthy weight of a full grown man being, at least partially, rested on my shoulders it was rather pertinent.

"Later," was all I got in response. I huffed, quietly, and concentrated on making it down the hallway. At least we reached the doors to the stairwell before all hell broke loose.

"They're on the move!" I gasped out as a wave of panic, not entirely my own, washed over me as several shifter brains around me went into hyper alert mode, rising from whatever task they'd been doing to head towards the ground floor.

"Yes." Eric pushed his way through the double doors, virtually dragging me and Sam with him so that we were covered, for the time being by the stairwell gloom.

"Two are coming this way." I hissed as we twisted around to make it down the stairs.

"Run." It was a simple command and yet I was still processing it when Eric swiped Sam out of my grasp until he was carrying him, in a way that would have been funny in pretty much any other situation. "Run!" Eric whispered fervently to me again, looking back at me from the top step and I could see now that his fangs had run down. I didn't need telling twice; I took off down the steps, only a few paces behind my vampire as we hurtled towards the ground floor.

We were between the first and second floors when the two shifters above us hit the stairwell on the fifth floor and started running down the stairs at a pace I would have thought was dangerous. I knew the instant that they heard our quiet footsteps below them. I knew the second that they took in our scent through their powerful noses, when they recognised the stench of a vampire in their midst. In that same second they forgot their previous commands and set off ever faster after us.

My breath was heaving during that last flight of stairs but I made it, all the while promising that I would take up running if I got out of this situation. We burst out of the doors at the bottom, into the original corridor ignoring if there were any other shifters down here as we had no choice. Immediately Eric ran into the old lounger, with me hot on his heels and still the shifters were behind us, gaining with every stride.

"Through the window Sookie," Eric commanded as he slowed. I literally threw myself at the window sill, vaulting up onto the dusty wood with a loud thud that jarred my knees. I could care later, when I had time, for now I was up there. I couldn't look at the fall on the other side of the glass; I knew it wasn't enough to do any serious damage as long as I landed right. So with that thought swimming around my head I stood up on the ledge of the window and jumped, bending my knees and rolling as I landed. Eric was beside me in an instant, Sam still in his arms.

I clambered to my feet as the shifters behind us hit the lounge, having been momentarily thrown off by not seeing what door we disappeared through. I grasped Eric's forearm, where it was wrapped around Sam's back, and clung on desperately, using his superior speed to drag me along.

"Come back bitch!" One of the Shifters behind us screamed as we flitted across the rough ground toward the road and the, hopefully, safety of the truck.

"Fangbanger!" The other yelled. I blocked them out as much as I could, putting all my concentration on not falling as my feet flew across the ground, barely making contact before I was forced to pick them up again. My muscles burned, my knees felt like burning liquid and I couldn't actually feel my feet.

"Fuck," Eric hissed loudly as we took our first step onto the road. I risked a quick glance at him; his eyes were bright blue, shining with a rage that I couldn't place. My blazing lungs screamed as I dragged in another breath to fuel me on. Even with my shields clamped I could sense the shifters behind us, one male and one female. I could see the horrible things they wanted to do to me; Eric they just wanted to kill quickly. It spurred me on to keep my pace going, because I just couldn't run any faster.

"Almost there." Eric stated; his anger now evident in his voice. My rasping lungs were grateful, especially when the truck came into view. Another twenty paces. We were across the road and around the corner of the little square when I finally felt relief; the Shifters slowed. I didn't have enough air to ask anything, to make any noise apart from the gasp that came with every painful intake of breath.

"They won't go any further," Eric replied to my nonexistent question and I knew he was right when I felt the Shifters lagging behind instead of gaining. Eric kept running, tugging me along until we reached the car when he stopped so suddenly I plummeted forward, on for a collision with the side of the car.

An arm shot out around my waist, pulling me back up to a standing position. It never left my waist, keeping me upright as I panted, bent over to try and stop my head from spinning, as he pulled open the door to push Sam into the back seat. Sam, slightly more aware now that adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he was away from those creatures, grabbed the car seats to heave himself in. The door shut with a loud bang and then next thing I knew I was sitting in the passenger seat, the seatbelt already fastened even though I hadn't actually moved at all.

I couldn't get in enough air; my lungs burned with too much use yet screamed for more oxygen while my heart pumped so loudly in my chest now that I wasn't moving I couldn't hear anything else but the blood resounding through my ears.

"Hold on." The simple words didn't mean anything to me, I could only sit there and take in the wonderfully cool air coming in through the vents. Sweat began to trickle down my temples while even more collected on my lower back. The truck lurched forward with what I imagine was a screech of tyres.

"Alcide," I rasped out, knowing somewhere in the deep recesses of my consciousness that he wasn't with us. Eric didn't reply, there was no need to as he threw open the back driver's side door while still driving and a battered Alcide leapt into the truck while it was still moving. He slammed the door shut harshly and then bangs clattered along the side of the truck as we sped away from the horrible Shifters.

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**Thanks for reading, what did you think? What's going on with Alcide? You know i love feedback almost as much as i love a certain viking vampire. Make a poor lil vet student, who's in the middle of studying for exams ;), happy :) **

**Csya next week **


	11. Swings and Roundabouts

**Hello! **

**How are you all? I'm so sorry it's been such a long time. But I'm back now, although it may be a little sporadic for awhile, until the next lot of exams. I passed first year by the way, you are now reading the work of a second year vet student. I also happened to get Merit level in my exams :) I want to say a massive thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I know I didn't respond to most of you but I can now reply to reviews so I shall be responding again now. **

**I want to say a really big thank-you to my wonderful betas campyrs and Trajedy99, who are still with me and do such a wonderful job. **

**Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries. Otherwise I think I'll just let you read the chapter.**

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"How did it go?" I asked after about five minutes of gasping, my breathing slowly returning to almost normal. I could still feel my heart thumping away in my chest. Alcide looked remarkably ragged now that I had a chance to look at him properly; he'd lost his checked shirt, his hair was bedraggled and there was a wild glare in his eyes. There wasn't really anything specific but he was just giving off some form of vibe that said he'd been in a fight. It was when I was searching him closer that I noticed the marks on his back, disappearing into his tank top. "What happened to your back?" The scratches were more like gouges, deep and angry, finger or claw width apart.

"Nothing serious," he mumbled in reply, being evasive once more. "I'm going to be in mighty big fucking trouble with the Pack." He added, giving me enough to think about so that I wouldn't question him further.

Sam was huddled against the door, his forehead resting against the cool glass with his mouth hanging open slightly as though he was about to drop to sleep at any moment. Cursing myself for not thinking about it sooner I pulled out the blanket that I'd snagged from Eric's sofa at Fangtasia, it was actually a throw for the sofa, but it would work to keep Sam warm. Carefully I passed it back, to a very grateful Sam who wrapped it tightly around his torso.

"Drop me off at the bar; I need to get my truck." Alcide said, talking to Eric and completely ignoring my curious glance. Sam wasn't paying any attention now that he felt safe and was warming up from just being in the truck; his eyes were getting droopy. The pain he'd been in was greatly lessened, it wasn't hitting me in waves, and his thoughts had slowed down considerably; he'd be in deep slumber before we even hit Fangtasia.

"Aren't you going to stay to make sure he's okay?" I asked, darting a pointed look toward Sam, purposefully avoiding saying his name so I wouldn't rouse him.

"Sookie, you need to understand this. I can just about get away with rescuing him, he's two natured, but I ain't going to get away with helping him recover. He isn't one of the Pack."

"But he's a friend of the Pack! Same as me, wouldn't you help me out if I was in bad shape?" My voice was quiet but my words held venom. I could feel Eric's eyes on me; he'd been oddly silent so far during the drive. There was something he wasn't telling me, of that I was sure.

"That's different and you know it. Sookie you're special, don't tell yourself any different. Loads of members would help you out, but most wouldn't help out a," his voice trailed off, not wanting to directly insult Sam while he was sitting next to him. He was unconscious, in a non medical emergency way, now anyway. "It's different."

"You Weres need to get over yourself." I hissed back at him and turned around to face the front with a huff. It didn't go unnoticed the smirk that was on Eric's face. "Shut it," I told him before he dared to say anything. All that did was get a bigger smile out of him.

The rest of the journey to Fangtasia was spent in awkward silence, the only definitive sound was the heavy breaths of Sam as he slumbered, completely unaware of the tension around him. Eric never wiped the smugness off his face and Alcide sat brooding, staring out of the tinted back window. As soon as he pulled up in the parking lot he hopped down from the truck, barely bothering to pause as he sent me a quick farewell, Eric he didn't even acknowledge.

"I swear I'm going to hit that man again," I grumbled with my arms folded defiantly across my chest as we eased back onto the main road that Fangtasia was on, heading towards Bon Temps. It had never actually been expressly mentioned, yet I had assumed that we would return Sam to his home, or at least my house where he could be looked after properly if necessary. Until he woke up again there was no telling exactly what his injuries were.

"You are decidedly sexy when you are mad." Eric grinned at me which only caused me to glare even more.

"Don't you start. I have some questions for you anyway Mister." He actually chuckled at that. It was amazing how my mood could have changed in such a short space of time; I'd gone from utmost relief from getting both us and Sam out of the building alive to complete frustration with borderline anger or rage at Alcide's strange behaviour.

"Fire away lover. I think I am actually looking forward to this. You have the most entertaining questions." He was actually being sincere which I couldn't decide if it meant that it was more or less frustrating; that sarcasm.

"How come you could enter there without an invitation?" I unfolded my arms and slumped against the back of the seat, hoping that if I acted calm that my mind might actually follow.

"It was not a permanent residence. I only need an invitation into a permanent home."

"So what about trailers? They're kinda in the middle there; they're permanent because people don't move out of the trailer, but the trailer itself isn't in a permanent place." He chuckled at me, lighting his face up with his sparkling eyes but it was all in good fun, there was nothing malicious about it.

"Your mind works in strange, wonderful ways Sookie. Yes I need an invitation into trailer homes. It is not the place that needs to be permanent but rather the occupants need to be within the structure permanently, or the intention for permanency needs to be there."

"Vampire homes?" It was a little strange having this conversation with him; I'd known many Vampires, but I hadn't really known any on more than an acquaintance level which meant I had never known any of these curiosities.

"No invitation needed, we are not alive so cannot exactly 'live' in a home." He shrugged his shoulders, the fact he was technically dead by all medical standards didn't faze him at all. I would love to have met him as a human, to see if he ever had a naive or innocent side. "What other curiosities do you have in that pretty little head of yours?" He glanced in the rear view mirror to check on the still sleeping Sam.

"Why didn't you fly us in there? It would have been quicker." I didn't want to come across as insulting; his plan had worked overall, even if there had been a close call. To be honest I hadn't even thought about it until we'd been on our way back out of the building.

"I am adept but it is a different matter to carry someone with me, gain enough leverage to force open a window and get you safely inside. I considered it but deemed standard breaking and entering to be more appropriate."

"Oh God!" I cried out as he said his last utterance. I hadn't thought about the implications of what I'd done; I'd broken more laws than I wanted to count.

"Do not worry; they will not call the police. Even if they did I would not let anything happen to you." He was being sweet and protective but that didn't really help me at all. I knew they weren't going to call the cops; they were in the building illegally, they had kidnapped someone and Lord knows what else. They'd get in even more trouble than me. No, it was the morals behind what I had done that were getting to me, as twisted as it was to be plagued by breaking into a building where Shifters were lurking.

"I know. I've just never done anything serious before like that."

"You never had a drink underage? You never jaywalked?"

"Yes, but this is different somehow. I think it's my brain just trying to process everything that happened. I know it shouldn't bother me and what we did was decidedly for the overall good. Also, I only drank underage the one time; it was at my eighteenth birthday party, if you can call it that. I had a glass of champagne and a few bottles of beer before I'd eaten anything. My Gran was not happy." I shuddered at the memory but then had to smile, that even though she was angry with me; my Gran still stroked my back and scooped back my hair while I was ill.

"I can imagine you being defiant, in a tame way." I could feel myself relaxing as we spoke, with his teasing and easy smile that had been absent since late evening, it was easy to let go for a little while. "Bending rules rather than breaking them."

"Yeah, being telepathic didn't leave me much chance for being really wild. I never had many friends to sneak out to parties with or anything. Now then Mister, since you distracted me sufficiently. Back to _my _questions." I grinned at him, showing that I was not really angry at him although I could feel it simmering still in the pit of my stomach.

"Why didn't you fly out of the building? You could have gotten out with Sam. You could have run away at the end there too, gotten Sam to the truck." I had my own sneaking suspicions about his reasoning but I wanted to know whether he would own up to them.

"I was not going to leave you, defenceless, in a building full of shifters that we both know would harm you." It was what I thought.

I leaned back again, my fingers fiddling with the hem of my borrowed shirt, while I was lost in thought with a little smile playing on my lips. I had known him for a couple of months when I added everything together, yet I'd barely touched the tip of the iceberg that was Eric Northman. He was nothing like you imagined him to be, well he could be, but there was definitely another man underneath the hard external persona. I still didn't want to rush into anything. I'd already done a complete one-eighty within a couple of days; adamantly not wanting a relationship to really wanting one with him. I had to slow this down, as soon as this danger was over. Even though we had Sam back I had this really bad, sinking feeling that the worst was definitely not over.

"What should we do with Sam?" I didn't want him going back to his trailer on his own yet, we still didn't know the full extent of his injuries and he was going to be asleep for a good long while, he wasn't even dreaming; he was sleeping that deep.

"Is there anywhere you can both go? Not your house or Sam's; the Shifters know those places. I would have offered you my apartment or house but they are not appropriate." No food, limited supplies, very limited access and no way of getting anywhere if I needed anything such as medical attention. Definitely wouldn't be good going to Eric's.

"My brother's place. It was actually my parent's house but they left it to Jason."

"Okay, just tell me the way." We were heading down the main road towards Bon Temps, still a good five minutes away from the centre of the small town. I reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone, dialling Jason's number from memory; I really needed to set up speed dial on the damn thing.

"Yellow! This is Jason, baby!" I barely contained myself; it seemed my brother was waiting for a good time. He was good, at heart; he just didn't always show it. Only my brother would answer the phone like that at this time of night.

"Hey bro, it's Sook. Can I spend the night at your place?"

"Er, yeah, sure." It took him a few seconds to reply, yet just like I'd expected he wasn't going to turn me away. We had to look out for each other, we were the only two left in our family. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just can't face my place. I've got Sam with me." I didn't know how to explain Eric so I didn't even bother trying, Jason could think what he wanted when we showed up. It at least gave me a little longer to think about how much I could tell him.

"Okay, well the spare room's set up from the last time you were here. How long you going to be? I'm not there." That bit of information I'd already gathered.

"I'm not sure, I have my key so don't worry. I'll let myself in. Thanks Jason."

"No problem sis, just stay out of trouble." I hung up before I could say something sarcastic or 'too late'.

"Just keep on going down Hummingbird Road past my place until you see the sign for the hunting hides then take the left."

We were approaching Bon Temps, in just a minute we would pass my little old home, which was in quite desperate need of a layer of paint. There were no other houses this far out, unless you counted the old Compton place but Mr Compton had died the previous year, with no one coming forth to claim it, it was just falling into even deeper ruins. We did pass the end of my driveway and I looked up the gravel track, knowing I wouldn't see my house yet looking anyway, with a longing that you only get when you know you can't go home yet. It had been an exceedingly long couple of days and nights. A quick glance at the clock told me that we were much closer to dawn that I'd realised, meaning that I wouldn't be getting much sleep again.

"I have another question for you," I started out, still staring out of the side window. "What do you know about what's going on with Alcide?"

"I do not know anything for definite and I am not going to tell you. I think you deserve the truth, I am not going to give you the gossip I have heard." The imagine of Eric and Pam sitting in his office, their heads close together as they whispered rumours between each other, giggling like school girls with the juiciest information. I blamed my tiredness which seemed to be catching up with me; the adrenaline was really starting to wear off. "I will let Alcide tell you. I also do not want to be the one that informs you, it might be detrimental to myself." Well, I was definitely going to worry. Being detrimental meant it would upset me, and if Eric told me, he was worried I was going to take it out on the messenger. I still wasn't entirely sure how serious he was about whatever was developing between us, but I definitely knew he wasn't ready to bail just yet.

"Shit," I mumbled emphatically as I screwed up my eyes to fight down the wave of anxiety that was welling up. Now was simply not the time for any of this. "Fine, okay. I'll just ask Alcide."

We made the rest of the journey quietly; Sam's heavy breathing was the only thing that disturbed the silence. Soon my parent's house came into view, visible from the road as the drive was short, culminating in a large patch of gravel that you could use to turn around in or park. Jason's massive truck was absent; he'd already gone out. Eric parked his truck outside the front door. My door was already open by the time I'd gotten my seatbelt undone and Eric was awkwardly carrying a still snoring Shapeshifter in his arms. I had to fight down the giggles that forced to erupt from me at the sight of him clutching a half naked man. I was definitely too tired for this.

"Come in," I invited Eric as I got the door open and waved vaguely in the direction of the guest bedroom which was up the stairs, the house being in a similar, yet smaller, arrangement to mine. He took off up the stairs, giving me a chance to admire with tired eyes his glorious behind in form fitting jeans. While Eric was busy putting Sam on the guest bed, I actually giggled out loud at that thought, I grabbed a spare blanket and pillow from the linen closet next to Jason's master bedroom; although there were two guest rooms, as Jason and I had each had our own rooms, my room was still outfitted with a child's bed considering I was only seven when my parents died. I'd never actually lived here as an adult; Jason very rarely had people staying over the night that wouldn't share his bed, which meant there had never been any need to put in a full sized bed, so it was the couch for me tonight.

"Sorry, Jason doesn't keep any True Bloods," I apologised as Eric walked back into the room.

"That is fine; I do not need to eat." He shrugged his impressively large shoulders and used the motion to also slip off his jacket, getting more comfortable.

"Okay, um, I'm going to go get changed. Wait for me." I tried hard to not make it a question; I even added a smile to show that it wasn't anything bad that I wanted him to wait for. He didn't seem to be in any particular rush anyway; he was getting comfortable, so I hoped he wouldn't mind. I just needed some normal contact for a little bit; no interruptions and no adrenaline rush situations.

Upstairs in my little bedroom, I was the youngest so naturally I had the smallest room; I had some spare clothes just for the occasional times that I actually spent the night. Most of the items were from when I first started working at Merlotte's and I didn't like driving home so late alone, so I would go to Jason's place as it was closer. Sometimes he'd even be in and alone. So I grabbed an old t-shirt from my high school days, purposefully bought extra large from when I went through my running phase, and a pair of sleep shorts that I had to hope would still fit; it had been a few years.

The T-shirt was still humongous, going down past my bottom which thankfully hid the tight shorts as the material stretched over my butt. I folded the clothes that I'd borrowed from Pam and placed them on the bed for later, when I could grab them and wash them before returning them. I let my hair fall loosely around my shoulders, rubbing my scalp lightly as I did so and feeling the relief that came after wearing my hair up for hours.

When I got back downstairs Eric was just finishing up a phone call. Of course, by this time he'd also taken his shoes off and was lounging with his legs splayed out before him on the sofa. I padded into the kitchen and got myself a hot chocolate, wanting the comfort it would bring with the memories of sharing a chat with my Gran over steaming mugs, while we sat out on the front porch watching the sun set.

"Pam says she has had a call from the Pack master," Eric started out as I took a seat next to him on the sofa, cuddling my mug. I didn't even know what information had been exchanged and I was already scowling. "The Pack want to know how Sam is doing, you are to call him in the morning with a status update. For now they are content with knowing he is alive and does not have any mortal wounds."

"Fine," I huffed and let my head loll onto his shoulder after I took a sip of my drink, not caring that it was still a little too hot to drink and it scalded all the way down my throat. I was fed up of my mood swings this evening. I needed some rest.

"Where is your brother?" He hadn't acknowledged that I was leaning against him yet; he was sitting still, and his well muscled shoulders actually provided a very comfortable cushion.

"He's out at some woman's house I think. He usually is anyway."

"You two are not close?"

"Depends, we're there for each other when we need it but we live very independent lives from each other. I can only guarantee seeing him once a week when we share a lunch at Merlotte's." I shrugged my shoulders, letting him know that it didn't bother me too much anymore. Gran had kept us together when she was alive and it had hurt after she'd passed but I'd come to terms with everything now.

"Do you have any other family? Someone you can count on?"

"No, it's just Jason and I." I felt tears beginning to form in the corners of my eyes even though it had been years since I'd actually cried over the death of my parents. I missed them terribly but I'd only been seven when they passed; my memories faded and I just wasn't old enough to really know them as people. As horrible as it was to say, or hell to even think it, I missed the idea of having parents probably more than my actual parents now. "My parents died when I was seven." He very wisely didn't question me any further on that topic. "My Gran died, she was the one that brought up Jason and I; which just leaves us two. It's probably why I treat my friends more like family."

I blinked, trying to force back the tears before they spilled and took a deep drink of my hot chocolate to hide behind. The comforting warmth slipped down my throat. There was a loud crying sound from upstairs that immediately snapped my eyes open and set my shields crashing down so I could figure out what was wrong.

"Bad dream," I whimpered as I saw the flashes of talons pass through Sam's mind only to be replaced by more innocent images. There was no point going up there, waking him up now that it had passed would only deprive him of much needed sleep. "I hope he'll be okay. I wish there was something more I could do." With that I burst into tears, unable to keep a hold of my emotions once more.

Eric changed his position on the sofa, sitting up more and keeping his legs straight out in front of him. Tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision but at least I didn't sob. Without asking me, his strong hands gripped my waist and he deposited me gently on his lap where I immediately snuggled up to his chest, resting my head on his shoulder. I tried frantically to wipe away my tears using the one free hand I had.

"Here," Eric whispered softly, producing a Kleenex from somewhere and taking my mug in the same gesture to balance carefully on the small end table beside him. "Please do not cry." He added after a few seconds of sitting with me, his hands stroking up and down my back. I could hear an edge of desperation in his voice that hadn't been there the last time he had spoken. "I do not like to see you cry. It makes me feel human."

"Sorry," I mumbled in response wiping the end of my nose before anything really disgusting happened. "I'm just a bit of a mess. Hormones, lack of sleep."

"Well I did keep you up last night." He joked; lightening the mood and making me smile slightly.

"Oh, I thought it was me that kept you up," I replied, wondering where I had been able to pull that line from. My meaning was not lost on him at all and I felt his chest vibrate with his quiet laughter.

"Ah, Sookie. Dry your tears. You are safe; your friend will be safe." He kissed the top of my head softly, so that I barely felt the pressure of his lips. Then, ever so quietly so that I didn't think I was actually supposed to hear he added, "I am here. I will protect you." His words washed calm over me, I really did feel safe in his arms or when I was around him. It was hard to believe that something was more dangerous than a thousand year old vampire. It was more when he had to go sleep for the day that worried me a little, especially because shifters weren't limited to just the night although they were more powerful under the influence of the moon.

A few minutes later I wiped the last of my tears from the probably puffy eyes and took in a deep, calming breath. Eric smelled like laundry, fresh and kind of soapy, a mixture of whatever shower gel he used and something else that reminded me of the ocean. It was wonderful, especially considering it was so unexpected; vampires weren't really supposed to smell like anything. I couldn't resist what I did next; I placed a gentle kiss on his neck, letting my lips linger and the tip of my tongue dart out to taste his skin. He tasted faintly of some kind of fruit.

"You taste like berries," I giggled quietly just before I placed another open mouthed kiss just higher than the last one. My nose skimmed just underneath his strong jaw.

"What?" He asked, pulling back slightly so that he could look down at me which just so happened to put his mouth only a few inches away from mine.

"You taste like berries; strawberry, blackberry, raspberry and," I gave him another kiss as though I was savouring the taste to be able to name it. I didn't really have a clue but my words seemed to be teasing him, which was helping to cheer me up. "Cherry."

"Shower gel." He replied with a small, flickering smile as though he couldn't decide whether to get annoyed as it wasn't particularly manly or be pleased that I liked it.

"I like it," I mumbled back as I kissed him again. This time I used a little more pressure that sent his head lolling back against the sofa, exposing more of his skin. His hands eased up their calming circles to massage my back, rubbing and caressing every inch in a slow, attentive arc.

Carefully I sat up in his lap, twisting around slightly until I was straddling him, my knees beside his hips, digging into the back of the sofa so that I could get as close as possible. I worked my lips up, along his jaw until I found his mouth where I was met with an eager kiss. Hands trailed down my back to rest on my bottom where he squeezed gently and I knew the instant he realised I wasn't wearing underwear.

"Hm, lover," he virtually growled, lifting his hips slightly so I could feel exactly how much he wanted me. Not satisfied with the amount of skin I could feel I began to drag up the hem of his shirt, exposing the porcelain skin underneath, that covered his mouth watering muscles. My hands moved over his stomach, over his tensed muscles until I reached his chest where I lightly dug in my finger nails to scratch. A growl vibrating through his chest told me how much he appreciated that.

"Lover, we need to stop." I couldn't believe the words I was hearing so I chose to ignore them, instead I put my concentration on the way my tongue was exploring his fangs as soon as he stopped speaking. "Sookie." My name on his lips as he pulled away, earning a murmur of protest from me. He didn't say another word, instead he simply grasped my wrists firmly; holding them in one of his hands and with the other deftly manoeuvred me so I was no longer straddling him. "For once I'm being truly chivalrous and it goes unwanted," he muttered almost to himself as though he really couldn't quite believe what he was doing. He shook his head, some blond tendrils flapping lightly around his face with the movement. Next he planted a small kiss on my forehead and stood up, moving his grasp so that I could remain seated. I had no idea what his intentions were and it was the curiosity that kept me in place. He slowly slid down to the floor with a graceful elegance that I would always be jealous of and in the same instant pushed me back so that I was lying down on the sofa. Before I realised what was happening, I was flat on my back, hands pressed together still clasped in one of his over my chest and he was essentially pinning me down.

"Why are you on the floor?" I asked, the only question that I could get out through the confusion.

"When a woman says no, it is no. When _you _should be saying no, it is still no." My brow furrowed at his words as my fatigued brain worked to understand his meaning. I got there a second later and the deep blush that flushed across my cheeks showed him I understood. I couldn't deny that the urge was still there, burning underneath the surface and although I would like to think I had very good self control, I wasn't entirely sure what I would do if he let me go unpinned. It still didn't exactly explain why he was on the floor; he could just as easily have stopped my advances from beside me.

"Yes, but why are you on the floor?" My eyebrows were rose in question, my eyes staring directly into his, daring him to try and give me a bullshit answer.

"Fine," he replied, an edge of a growl in his words. "You are very tempting and although I have excellent self control, I am still a man." I couldn't stop the smirk that crossed my lips at his reply or the full body wriggle I gave in an attempt to find out how resolved he was to keeping my advances away. When his arm didn't budge even an inch I knew it was futile. Each passing second was calming me down, the lack of contact and just knowing that I had affected him deeply was enough, for now.

"Eric," I started out after a few seconds of silence had passed between us. His eyes flickered up slightly to meet my gaze and his hand relaxed its grip on my wrist, so that he was just resting his hand with mine.

"Sookie," he replied when I didn't say anything straight away.

"Why did you decide to help me out in the first place?" When I'd first asked him to help me find Sam, it wasn't actually that long ago even though the days had been stressful it felt like a few weeks, there wasn't much reason for him to offer his aid.

"I wanted to do it out of the goodness of my heart." He told me, his voice dripping with sweetness and a smile making his lips twitch slightly.

"Bull." I said instantly, making his smile become fully fledged so that I could see his teeth, his fangs had retracted at some point.

"I wanted your blood." He replied and although the smile was still decorating his face I could see some honesty seeping through. He was still trying his best to keep the mood light; I'd been on such a rollercoaster the past hour that we'd been on the sofa.

"Partial bull. You could have anyone you wanted and you come after a waitress from Bon Temps? I don't think you're telling me the full truth there, buddy." I didn't get a reply straight away. First he picked up one of my hands, brought it up to his mouth and gave my wrist a delicate kiss, right over where you could see the veins standing out against my creamy skin.

"You are so much more than a human and well, I did want your blood, you taste..." his voice trailed off and he closed his eyes lightly, savouring the memory. A hint of a blush crept across my cheeks again and I was grateful that he didn't actually find a word for his description or it would have become fully fledged. "I was intrigued; you were the first woman to run away from me in such circumstances. I have had women regret it after, women decide that they just cannot be with a vampire, but never in a thousand years has anyone just thanked me, smiled and walked out like it was nothing." He shook his head slightly as though he still couldn't quite believe what I'd done.

"Not one single person in a thousand years?" I asked in disbelief. It wasn't exactly pleasant conversation, talking, even so vaguely, about all the women over the years, but it was still interesting to know.

"Not a single one until you. It was," he seemed almost to be struggling to find the correct word. "Surprising. You did something that I truly did not expect and that does not happen to me very often at all." I nodded, telling him to continue, there was something telling me that this wasn't the full extent of his reasoning. "The rest you will not like," he cautioned, pausing only a second before continuing. "The wolf was after you and I hate wolves. Also, I have to say I wanted you again, that cannot be denied." He was being blatantly, painfully honest.

"That's why you helped me? A pissing contest with Alcide and you wanted me in bed again because I'd walked away?" I sounded incredulous, even to my own ears and this was after I'd come to pretty much the same conclusions as what he'd told me on my own.

"Yes, but you did not give in." Of course I had given in to him. It made me question what was happening between us. I still wasn't entirely sure what I wanted and it seemed I was completely disposable in his eyes; he'd gotten his prize and he could have pretty much any woman he sets his eyes on, there wasn't much fun left for him here. I sank back into the sofa cushions as I thought, my gaze breaking away from his. "It was your stubbornness and strength that intrigued me further, let me see the qualities you have. For a breather you really are exquisite." His compliment caught me off guard and I glanced back up at him. I was surprised by what I found.

He was leaning against the sofa completely, with one knee bent up in front of him so that he could get closer. One arm was resting atop his knee while the other was still across my torso. His deep blue eyes were intense as he stared back at me. This wasn't a man that seemed to be in a hurry to get out of here. Plus, if he really had just been after his original goal, there would have been little point of him staying around the past couple of days or for saying no tonight.

"Okay," was my eloquent reply. I couldn't think of anything else to say. I could have blown a fuse on him, I could have cried and I could probably, in a woman's eye, got away with slapping him. Yet I didn't. It was just so much easier to let it go by. Eric was different; he was a man for a start, he was a Vampire and he was older than I could comprehend. He had a different way of looking at things and of seeing the world. There was no point letting what he'd just shared with me bog me down, at least not tonight. Tonight, I needed some sleep so I could process what had happened. "Tell me a story." I half asked, half told him when it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything else about his being here. One arched eyebrow was the response I got.

"Tell me a story, something that you've seen over the years, something about history that I know that you were a part of. Something. Anything." I half rolled over so that I was on side. I silently thanked Jason that he had decided to go with the three cushion wide sofa rather than the two because it meant that even lying down I barely had to curl up to fit. My hands were tucked up under my chin, Eric's clasped firmly between them and I couldn't bring myself to care that the side cushion would be leaving an impression on my cheek.

"Okay. So the year was 1837 and I was in England, at the time when long hair was just about in fashion. I could walk the night streets with ease and I found myself actually liking the city of London. I didn't know it when I first arrived there but by the time that I arrived I would no longer be walking the Earth alone. During that visit to England I became a Maker, for the first and only time." I'd left my eyes close as he began to speak, letting his words wash over and the deep tones of his voice lull me to sleep. It apparently didn't matter that I was interested in the story; I was asleep within a few sentences.

* * *

**So what did you think? Any ideas what's going on with Alcide? You know I love feedback almost as much as I love a certain Viking vampire who is doing some mighty fine scenes in the new True Blood season. Anywho, until the next chapter which will hopefully be sometime next week, thanks for reading. **


	12. Notes

**Hello, **

**how are you all doing? This is going to be long so you can skip to the chapter if you want :p  
**

**Sorry this is a little late. My life took a busy turn again. My dad has been ill, don't worry it's nothing serious but he isn't allowed to drive for two weeks so i'm doing all of the errands/groceries and stuff. Then, the horror of it, my laptop broke! My hard drive is good, and i have back ups of most stuff anyway, but it still threw me for a loop. Luckily, we have another 4 computers for me to go at but they're all shared ones so my internet access has severely declined. But the chapter is here now. **

**Did you see ASkars collecting his award from Leeds Met? He was in my area of the world! My cousin actually studies business there right now. But, in my blatant snobbishness, it isn't the best leeds uni, of which there are actually 3. I'm also annoyed it's taking me five years to be a doctor and he gets one after only being at the uni for 6 months! Grrr.. ah well. Congrats to the guy. **

**I want to say a really big thank-you to my betas campyrs and Trajedy99, they've been with me for awhile now and they do a fantastic job! Thanks guys. also a thank-you to baronessjai (i hope i got the username right, i don't have any of my notes on this laptop) whose been reviewing my stories and i haven't been able to reply. **

**The wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries is owned by Charlaine Harris, i'm just having some fun with a few characters. Best of all, according to a facebook update by CH Deadlocked, the next Sookie book is now at the editors! **

**So, finally, on with the story!**

* * *

I awoke the next morning to a strange, almost surreal situation. Sam was sitting down on the coffee table only a couple of feet away from me, with one leg stretched out in front of him and while he did look dreadful, he was up.

"Sookie?" He asked again tentatively, his voice barely more than a whisper. My eyes shot open and I launched myself up from a sleeping position, sending the blankets that had been tucked up around my shoulders sprawling across my lap.

"Sam!" I exclaimed incredulously as I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him tight as I breathed in his scent, immediately wishing I hadn't. "How are you?" I ignored the rather strong odour, not even bothering to loosen my grip around him.

"Well, you're hurting me a little there Sook, ribs are still tender." I pulled back, a slight blush colouring my cheeks as I realised that in my excitement of actually seeing him up I'd forgotten he was probably in considerable pain.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think."

"Its fine," he replied, a bright smile lighting up his face. A shaky hand ran through his messy hair that desperately needed a wash. "I just wanted to see if I could get a shower."

"Oh, of course." My mind immediately snapped to what I would need to do to play the hostess, it barely even registered that it wasn't my house. "I'll grab you some clean towels and I'm sure Jason's got some clothes that you can borrow." Jason had a tendency to be self centred but he was sweet and good at heart, he would never prohibit Sam from borrowing some things.

"So we're at Jason's?" Sam asked, gazing around the living room that hadn't really changed much in twenty years.

"Yeah, Eric asked me not to go to my place and I figured yours would be just as bad so, here we are. It was the only place that I could think of." With that I went down the hallway to the linen closet, grabbing some fresh towels before popping them in the bathroom. I made a quick trip upstairs to grab some clothes for Sam and then I came back to the living room. "I hope these are okay." I handed Sam the bundle of clothes, which consisted of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"That's great, thanks Sook. Listen, ah," he paused, struggling to find the right words and I purposefully clamped down my shields tight so that I wouldn't accidentally hear something I wasn't supposed to. "Can we talk? Later I mean, once I've showered. I need to sort some things out." Ah, that explained it, the difficulty with choosing his words. Even if it wasn't about the horrendous things he'd just been through he would have been having issues. Men, no matter what the supernatural orientation, had problems with feelings; they were all pretty much the same.

"Yeah, I'll be here when you're done. Will you be okay on your own?" I didn't particularly relish the idea of helping Sam get clean but he was my friend so I would help if necessary. Besides, I'd seen everything before.

"No, I'll be fine, thanks." He nodded and he began to stand from the table, his cheeks puffing out with the exertion as soon as he wasn't resting his weight.

"Stop being stubborn and accept help," I warned, using my stern voice as I swiftly stepped across the room to sneak underneath one of his arms so that I could take some of his weight. I didn't miss the hiss of pain he let out quietly as he finally got to be standing.

"Thanks, I'm okay now. It's just the ribs, not good for moving." He told me with an edge of a growl in his voice, his way of keeping the pain from taking over. With that he pulled himself free from my grasp and hobbled out of the room with his borrowed things to the bathroom.

I sighed and sat back down on the sofa, flopping back into the cushions. The clock told me that it was still quite early in the morning. I definitely hadn't had enough sleep as it had been nearing dawn when I finally drifted off to sleep, listening to Eric's voice. Those thoughts ultimately lead me to thinking about where he was spending the day; surely he hadn't had time to get back to Shreveport. "Shit," I mumbled to myself as I thought of all the things that still had to be sorted out. At some point I would probably have to explain to my Vampire the extent of my relationship with Sam. That was a conversation I wouldn't look forward to. Sadly, I was pretty sure it was inevitable.

I allowed myself ten slow, deep breaths of relaxation before I stood up, going up the stairs to the little wash room up there. I couldn't get a shower yet but I could still freshen up.

"Sookie?" Sam called out just as I started down the stairs. A second later he appeared at the foot of the stairs, his strawberry blond hair freshly was plastered to his forehead in wet tendrils.

"Yep," I replied with a smile. He visibly relaxed when his eyes landed on me and he slowly returned my smile before heading back into the living room slowly, limping noticeably and holding one arm tightly against his ribs. "I'll just grab some tea," I called out as I passed the living room myself, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Okay," I started out and entered the lounge, placing the drinks and snacks that I'd found in the cupboard that would have to do for breakfast on the coffee table. Sam was already sitting down on the sofa, somewhat stiffly, as he seemed afraid to relax back into the cushions. I gave him the drink and then sat down, curling my legs up underneath me so that I could face my friend. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What do you know about the Supes that took me?" He stared into my eyes and I could see the hardness hidden behind his brave face.

"Honestly, not much. They're horrible, evil and like nothing I, nor Eric, have seen before." I took another sip of tea, this time it didn't sear my throat as I swallowed, so I was able to enjoy the taste. "Wait," my eyes snapped up to meet his once and again. "What do you know about them?"

"There's a good reason you haven't seen anything like them before; they're new. The leader, Max, was a quirk and he got what you could call a superiority complex, that being the understatement of the year." He sighed, closing his eyes softly as he struggled to keep himself grounded in the present. I could feel his pain on the brink of my mind, even with my shields clamped down.

"From what I could gather, he was the son of a Werewolf and a shifter, and he seemed to get some traits from both. His go-to shift is a wolf, but he can change into a range of things as well."

"Same extent as a true shapeshifter?" I queried, my tea long forgotten.

"No, I don't think so. I only saw him in about four different guises and the youngest ones, third generations as he calls them, have less choice."

"So why does he want you?" My eyes went wide as I realised how harsh my words could have sounded. I needn't have worried, Sam brushed away my words with a slight shrug of his shoulders; the most he could do without hurting his fractured ribs.

"That's the thing, I have no fucking clue and he never fucking told me while I was there. I saw him a couple of times; it was him that did this." With that he pulled up the hem of shirt to show me the mottled bruising that was the flesh of his abdomen. The base colour had been transformed to a black and purple mess, the densest parts over his ribs and fading out to a horrible, sickly green near his navel and around towards his back. It made me sick, especially considering he'd already had some time to heal.

"Holy s," I mumbled as my hand reached forward on its own, as though to touch his skin. I had to make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me. Luckily I stopped myself a few inches from his skin, and brought my hand up to cup his cheek. "Oh, Sam." I couldn't stop myself, didn't want to stop myself, and I leaned forward to wrap my arms gently around his neck, giving him a soft peck on the cheek.

"Hey, don't cry." He told me sternly as I pulled back, wiping the tears that had begun to spill down my cheeks. "I'll be fine Sookie, you saved me. Well you and the blood sucker, but you saved me. I'm healing."

"Are you sure you shouldn't go to a hospital?" I eyed his shirt; thankfully he'd returned the soft cotton to its normal position so I could no longer see the horrendous bruising.

"No hospital. I'm fine. Well, I will be in another few days. The ribs weren't out of place, just cracked or broken. The bruising is also from being on that awful floor." A violent shudder ran through his body as he returned to his memories for a second, a dark ghost flittered across his eyes and then he snapped out of it, a slight gasp on his lips as he shouldn't have moved so suddenly. "I just wish I knew what the hell they wanted me for."

"We'll find out. Between all of us, I'm sure we'll figure something out." I tried adding more hope than what I was actually feeling into my words, judging by the speculation on Sam's face I didn't quite succeed.

"Wait, who's all of us?"

"Me, you, Eric and probably Alcide slash The Pack. I suggest we wait until we can speak to Eric again before we do anything."

"Yeah, I'm not going to be up for much for a few days so I think it is best just to wait. Now, give me another hug over here before I take a nap." A smile graced his handsome face then and I simply couldn't refuse. I even gave him another kiss on the cheek before helping him settle down more on the sofa.

"I'm going to go out, get us some groceries and pop in the bar to make sure everything's running smoothly. Anything you want?"

"Just give all the waitresses a big thank-you from me and then a kick in the ass to get them working properly again. Thanks, Sookie. You know, for everything."

"Not a problem," I replied, pulling the blanket I'd used last night over him. "You have a drink, the blanket and there's pretty much everything that was in the cupboards on that plate so that'll have to do until I get back."

"I'll be fine, stop mothering me so much." His slight smile took the edge off of his words. "I love ya, Sookie."

"Love you too Sam." With that I turned on my heel and left the room for the hallway where I slipped on my shoes from last night, and pulled a hoody of Jason's on to cover up the fact I was also wearing last night's shirt since it was really the only thing here that fit me properly. I may have to stay at Jason's but that didn't mean I had to stay here in undesirable conditions; I could go home and grab a change of clothes, zip to the bar and grab Sam some stuff from the stash he kept in the store room for emergencies and then go to the grocery store. Two hours at the absolute most, I would be back just as dusk was beginning to fall as my time talking with Sam had taken much longer than I'd realised.

Of course it was only when I'd grabbed my purse that I realised I didn't have a god damn car here to get me anywhere. "Shit!" I mumbled quietly and whirled around to ask Sam if I would be able to borrow his truck if I walked to the bar, of course, he was already out like a light on the sofa. "Oh well, if he as a problem he can deal with it later." I reasoned and set out once more for the door. It was only a fifteen minute walk from here to the bar and I knew where the spare keys for Sam's truck were kept as it wouldn't be the first time I'd borrowed it. Everything would be fine.

Today just really wasn't my day. As I reached out to unlock the front door my eyes landed on a note, written in elegant, curling script, taped to one of the wooden panels.

_Lover, _

_I advise you to stay indoors today. Undoubtedly there will be shifters looking for you and your shapeshifter friend. It is safest for you to stay inside. I will speak to you later. Under no circumstances should you go to your home. Stay safe as you are mine. _

_E_

I felt the heat rising up across my cheeks as I read every word and by the end my breath was coming out in short pants. Without pausing to think I grabbed the note and crumpled it, threw it over my shoulder and continued out of the door. I did not need someone to tell me what to do.

* * *

"He's pissed at you by the way." Pam greeted me as I took the first step up onto the wooden porch. I'd been aware of a vampire sitting on the porch as soon as I'd pulled into Jason's driveway; the fact that it was a vampire had eased my mind. At the moment, vampires didn't hold quite the same fear for me as they used to. I only ignored the person thinking that it might be Eric; I wanted to give him the cold shoulder for awhile, until I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. I should have known it wasn't however; why would he wait outside bored, when he could enter the house freely and make himself at home? Pam didn't even lift her head up from the magazine she was reading as she spoke.

"Good evening to you too Pam," I replied as I unlocked the front door, managing to not put all the bags down too. "Come on in." I added with a sigh, knowing that I probably didn't have a choice with this. She didn't even wait for me to go ahead of her; instead she snuck past using her supernatural speed, dropping her magazine face up on the side table in the hall as she passed. "And thanks for the help here, you didn't have to, I have everything under control."

Huffing with every movement, even though I knew that even if she got the hint she wouldn't do a damn thing about it, I entered the house, heading straight to the kitchen. I had no idea which way she'd gone and I found myself caring very little. I could tell just from the peaceful mind emanating from upstairs that Sam was asleep, so as long as he stayed like that I could handle Pam.

My hostess instincts sadly kicked in once I got into the kitchen and before I could stop myself, I was asking whether Pam wanted a bottle of True Blood. There was no need to raise my voice; she would be able to hear me perfectly well. It was actually the synthetic blood that was weighing me down; I'd assumed Eric would be popping in at some point and it was only polite to be able to offer your guests something to drink and I wasn't about to offer my neck, at least not in this sort of situation. Not with Pam anyway.

"Yes," she replied and I felt my heart begin to beat faster as her voice sounded from only a couple of feet behind me. She paused a second before adding on, "please."

"So to what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked, desperately trying to keep most of the sarcasm out of my voice.

"Eric sent me." She only decided to continue when I turned around from putting the rest of the groceries away to stare at her. "He is busy until the early hours with some political bullshit. So he sent me to check up on you. He didn't think you would take his orders too well."

"Well he was right about that," I virtually growled, remembering the note that was currently lying in the hallway somewhere, crumpled up.

"Since someone else defying Eric amuses me, why didn't you listen to him?" She sat down gracefully on one of the wooden stools that were pushed up against the breakfast bar.

"It's my life. I can do with it what I want. I don't need a man to tell me what to do. I can look out for myself." I huffed, knowing that it wasn't entirely true, especially since I'd been sucked into this supernatural thing.

"You're both as stubborn as the other. If you two don't end up killing each other then you'll be having fantastic make up sex for the rest of your life." An actual smile ghosted across her face, for less than a second before it changed into a smirk. I didn't want to think about why it was on her face or what she was remembering to put it there. The least I knew about some of Eric's exploits the better.

"So what do you want?" I asked, thrusting the opened and heated bottle of synthetic blood at her.

"I am supposed to make sure that you don't leave the house." I didn't even bother to dignify that with a response. "You may not be happy about it but I will use force if necessary. Eric was right about you; you are fun for a breather. However, never doubt where my allegiance lies." I narrowed my eyes, turning my stare into a glare before huffing once more and turning back to the cupboards.

I didn't say anything else; I could tell there was no point. I could rescind her invitation, which would mean she'd have to stay out on the porch but it wouldn't make her leave. All that would really do is give me a few seconds of fun while she essentially moon-walked out and give me two pissed off vampires to deal with later. So I decided to do the next best thing; ignore the hell out of her if she wouldn't answer some of my questions.

"What's Eric doing tonight?" I asked as I put the kettle on to make myself a cup of white hot chocolate; I'd actually found the powder in the grocery store and couldn't resist since it was hardly ever stocked.

"Meeting with another vampire, it's just a big bore," she drawled in return, answering my question but without actually giving me anything to work with.

"Have you heard anything else about the Shifters? I didn't hear anything from them today."

"No, they're oddly quiet which is actually a tad more worrying than if they'd come after you. It means they're plotting. Hence, that is why my butt is over in this god forsaken town." I managed to suppress my giggle at her outburst, thankful that the kettle was boiling so it gave me a bit more cover too. "Eric will tell you as much as he can when you see him. I think he has plans to be here before dawn but who knows, I'm only his child and he still doesn't tell me everything."

"Right." I grabbed myself a bag of chips from the cupboard and my hot chocolate before walking out into the living room where I found yet another note waiting for me. "I'm getting fed up with stupid notes." I spat, talking to myself because even not knowing Pam very well at all, I knew she wouldn't care. I knew it was only the second note I'd received but I was still annoyed.

_Sis, _

_I took Sam upstairs to the guest room, hope you're okay with the sofa again. Any chance that you'll tell me what's going on? I'm in for the night, early start on the road crew and I didn't sleep much last night ;) _I swallowed down my revulsion at the implied meaning, thinly veiled of course and I already knew what he'd been doing, but it was still different to see it written down. There are just some things about your brother that you don't need to know. _See ya in the morning. Love ya. J_

Well, it wasn't too bad and at least I knew I could, hopefully, have a couple of hours of peace. The obstacle that Pam offered to my plans would hopefully be easy to overcome; give her a drink, a magazine and well, just hope for the best.

"Are you just going to sit there?" She asked after two minutes had passed of me sinking deeper into the plot of my book. She was standing somewhere behind the sofa; I didn't even bother to look up from my book.

"Yep," I replied, popping the 'p' and then turning back to reread the last sentence to make sure I'd understood it properly.

"Well, you're not nearly as entertaining tonight."

"Yes well, I didn't know I'd have a guest tonight. Help yourself to True Blood and I'm sure there's something you can read around here if you've finished with your magazine. Oh, and the clothes you loaned me haven't been washed yet but I'll do that tomorrow." I didn't hear another peep out of her. The retreating empty brain spot in my mind told me that she had wandered back to the kitchen. As long as she didn't wake anyone I didn't mind what she did; she could root around in the cupboards, bake cookies or write poetry for all I cared. I tuned back into my book and read the same sentence for the third time.

* * *

It was about two hours later, having had no further news from Pam that I made my way painstakingly slowly into the bathroom to change into pyjamas. Pam's brain impression was nearby, in the kitchen or out on the back deck yet I couldn't actually hear her, as in with my ears so I let it go. She was doing what she'd been appointed to. With my pyjamas safely on, my hair loose from its ponytail so that it wouldn't get caught in the tie overnight I made my way back to the sofa where I quickly succumbed to sleep.

"Good morning." I awoke quietly to a smooth, deep voice whispering in my ear. Cool lips ghosted along my skin just underneath my ear, raising goosebumps in their wake. Eric snuck his hand beneath the blanket I had pulled up beneath my chin to caress the exposed skin on my abdomen. Slowly, I opened my eyes, revealing his handsome face to only be a few inches away from my own. His lips pulled into a small smile, revealing that his fangs had run out. "Do you want to sleep?"

"Yes," I grumbled and rolled over, which on the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket was no easy feat. I got one glimpse of his face, complete with wide eyes and mouth a little slack before I faced the back cushion. If he thought he could just walk in here and get me going, well he could, but it didn't mean that my brain was going to accept his advances just yet. My body did seem to have other ideas.

"Sookie," he growled while his fingers continued to stroke my stomach, moving up underneath my t-shirt. Earlier I'd managed to stop by the bar and had grabbed all the clothes that I kept there in my new locker for emergencies. I'd also ended up manning the bar for an hour which was the main reason I'd been so late back. "Lover?" He could feel how my body was involuntarily responding to him, the flush that spread across my cheeks and the way the little down hairs raised up on my arms.

"Eric, stop." I kept my tone firm and he stopped his motions immediately, although he didn't move his hands away.

"What is wrong?" He whispered, his mouth once again whispering directly into my ear. He seemed completely perplexed; he honestly didn't have any idea what had upset me.

"What is wrong? You Mister, telling me what to do!" I growled right back at him, flipping over hastily onto my back, trying to ignore the blanket that was now well and truly knotted around me. His blond eyebrows knitted together, creating a deep line between them. "Are you seriously saying you don't know what I'm talking about?" I hissed my words, keeping relatively quiet so I wouldn't risk waking either Jason or Sam, both of whom were upstairs.

"No." How would he? He was completely used to giving commands, orders or whatever you wanted to call them. He didn't think twice about that sort of stuff and most of the time I imagined that everyone rushed to do what he wanted. Well, everyone except Pam and she still did his bidding, just with a little attitude thrown in.

"The stupid note you left me. 'You are mine'," I replied, deepening my voice in the best impersonation of him I could. "I am my own woman Eric; no one tells me what do!" At this point I pushed on the blanket, desperately trying to get enough room so that I could sit up. My Vampire's hands finally moved, taking the blanket with him. "And I most certainly don't belong to anyone."

"You do not wish me to want you safe?" I could almost see his brain working furiously to catch up to what I was trying to explain.

"No, that's not it." I sighed as I leaned forward, resting my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees, letting my hair fall forward to hide my face. "I _like_ that you want me to be safe. I _don't like_ that you do it by claiming me as yours. I am not a possession."

"You do not want to be mine? It is not a title that I give out often." His voice was getting deeper as my words began to sink in. If he had been human I would have said I'd hurt his feelings.

"I don't care if you don't say it often or not, I still don't want to be a god damn possession!" I stated, speaking harshly towards the floor. It was only after I'd said the words that I realised they weren't entirely true. I really didn't want to be a possession, I was my own person, but it did matter to me that being his was something he rarely said. In some weird, twisted way it made me feel sort of special.

"I am not taking it back Sookie. Whether you like it or not, I consider you mine." My head shot up so that I could glare at him. He'd gotten up from where he'd been kneeling beside me to pace across the length of the living room. He was currently standing at the other side of the coffee table; one hand was stuck in his hair, pulling it back from his face while his eyes virtually glowed.

"No." I said defiantly, standing up so that I didn't have to crane my neck quite so much. Of course he was nearly a foot taller than me so it didn't have quite the full affect I wished it did.

"You are my lover yes?" His question threw me into confusion and I found myself stammering a response before I'd thought about it.

"Yes."

"Then you are already mine in that respect. You are _my _lover."

"Well yes, but that isn't what you meant." He chose to ignore my outburst completely.

"And I am your lover. So you are mine. While I, now do not repeat this to another Vampire, belong to you in some respects too. We are lovers."

"What?" Was my eloquent reply as I tried desperately to comprehend everything he was trying to say.

"We are lovers. We belong to each other." There was just something about what he was saying that didn't follow through with what I'd learned about him. He wasn't exactly in touch with his human side, he didn't show weaknesses or any vulnerability and yet he was freely admitting, albeit in private, that he belonged to me too.

"You belong to me? You are mine?" I definitely didn't pose it as a statement the way he had. It was at that point that I made the decision, which could have made me look rather ridiculous, to stand on the coffee table just so I could see directly into his eyes without having to strain to do so.

"In a way. In a very Human way." For the moment I decided to let it drop about the way he said that latter sentence; that wasn't the argument we were having. "But Sookie being mine means that I'm offering you my protection. No other Vampire can claim anything from you. No one can harm you without facing me." His words held conviction and the strength of his will. His eyes were ablaze with the thoughts warring within his mind and the emotions that he wasn't telling me about.

I stared at him, unable to move even if I'd actually wanted to. I watched his eyes, seeing the truth of the words he was telling me mirrored in them, the blue depths full of honesty. I felt my will begin to melt, his words eating away at my anger.

Looking back I would think about normal, human couples and the titles that they gave to each other. They referred to each other as mine, giving themselves over to their other half. This was the Vampire version of it. It was almost something to be relished. There was one that thing that would never change; I would never take kindly to orders, being told what to do.

"Fine," I whispered quietly, not liking to admit defeat. It didn't matter though, how quiet my word was, he still heard. This wouldn't be the last argument about this, of that I was sure and I still didn't like it. I had to admit I felt angry, that one was a given but deep inside there was an odd feeling of being safe; I knew the man standing before me would protect me like no other could.

In the next second he took a step towards me and brought his hands up to grasp the back of my neck, pulling me swiftly across to him so that he could kiss me. I kissed him back, leaning into his chest and enjoying the feeling that being taller than him for once gave me. With his head tilted up to meet my lips, I wrapped my arms around his neck, cradling him to me while his hands sought out the base of my back.

"Lover," he mumbled against my skin, causing me to smile. His lips left mine to trail along my jaw and down to my neck where he caressed the sensitive skin of my throat. His large hands, with long fingers, massaged my back, working out the knots in my muscles and the remnants of anger that I was clinging to.

"Eric," I returned, his name a moan on my lips, louder than I ought to have been speaking. I twisted my hands into his hair, encouraging him to press his lips, teeth and tongue harder into my skin. As another moan worked its way loose from my throat, my consciousness that was still remarkably aware of anything but the Vampire in my arms told me we had to stop. "Wait," I mumbled, sickened by how weak my voice sounded. "Wait." I tried again and this time his ministrations actually slowed.

"Hm, lover?" Was his only reply. He'd stopped kissing me; instead he was running his nose gently, so soft that I could barely feel it, over my neck, tracing the line of my veins.

"We have to stop." I forced out, causing his motions to stop suddenly.

"No."

"Sam and my brother are both upstairs asleep. We can't do this here," I replied, futilely tugging on his hair so that I could look in his eyes where I stood a chance of getting my point across.

"I do not care." He emphasised his words with a lingering kiss right over the now invisible marks of where he'd first taken blood from me.

"I do!" I stuttered out around another moan that was threatening to break free from me.

"Hm. Shower."

"What?" I was perplexed and it definitely didn't help that he pulled my body tightly against his, letting me feel how much he wanted me.

"Shower. Bathroom. Where is it?" A bright smile crossed my face and a giggle escaped my lips.

"Second door on the right in the hallway." I didn't get another chance to speak.

His lips found mine once again, immediately getting the response he wanted from me. I felt his hands roaming downwards, from my shoulders to my butt where he lifted me from the table. My legs automatically wrapped around his waist, lowering myself down so I was no longer above him. I couldn't and didn't want to stop the moan that escaped my lips as his gracious plenty rubbed against me through his jeans.

Somewhere in my brain I was aware that we were moving yet I couldn't tell you how we actually managed to get to the bathroom as neither of us wanted to break away to look. His tongue dancing with my own was the only thing I wanted and the only thing I focused on. The cold press of tiles on my back as I was pressed roughly against the wall was the first indication that we had made it to the bathroom. A second later a loud thud told me that the door had been kicked shut.

"Lock," I mumbled, not wasting my time on unnecessary words. He understood me anyway.

Carefully I unwound my legs so that I could slide down to the ground. Eric didn't need any hints about what I wanted. With a smirking grin on his face, his hands began ghosting down my sides until they reached the hem of my sleep shirt that hit at mid thigh. Almost tickling fingers snuck underneath, trailing along my stomach as he pulled the shirt up with him. His thumbs brushed against the underside of my breasts, raising more goosebumps, before he broke contact and pulled the shirt over my head, leaving my torso bare.

"No fair," I grinned as I shoved his over shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, thankful that it hadn't been buttoned; I didn't have that kind of patience.

"I quite like it," he leered. He didn't even bother trying to make eye contact; instead he chose to stare at my chest, his eyes taking in every little detail. I should have been uncomfortable; I should have wanted to cover myself up. However it emboldened me, knowing exactly what he thought about my body, how much he wanted me.

I grinned back at him and started tugging his vest off. Of course I couldn't reach but it didn't matter, as soon as the soft cotton reached his chest he took over, moving my hands away so he could swiftly pull it over his head. The motion sent his muscles bunching, and I bit my lip, trying to keep myself from doing something stupid. I could wait a second, hopefully.

Somehow, one of us and I'm not sure which, managed to turn the shower on, letting steam begin to fill the room. Strong hands gripped the top of my shorts and tugged them down my legs, leaving me completely naked while Eric still had his jeans on, although they were slung deliciously low on his hips, revealing the deep v of his muscles. I stumbled getting the buttons of his fly open and I let out a frustrated growl that earned me a deep chuckle.

Deft hands were placed over mine and Eric finished undressing himself, taking his jeans and boxer briefs off in one go. A smile broke out across my lips an instant before I pressed myself against him, standing on tip toe so I could capture his lips in a searing kiss. I didn't think we were going to make it to the shower but hopefully the running water would still mask the sounds.

I hooked one of my legs over his hips so that I could press myself even closer, a deep growl low in my Vampire's throat was my reward. I smiled into the kiss and bit down on his lip. His hands reached down to grasp the back of my thighs and the next instant I was once again wrapped around his waist, this time no annoying clothing was stopping our contact. A stride forward and I was resting on the vanity top, tumbling backwards as Eric leaned forward. I didn't care about the few bottles and others bits that I sent flying, because before I could even really register what was happening, Eric pulled back slightly and thrust forward, filling me in one go.

"Hmp," I moaned, my fingers digging into his back as I grasped him. I leaned back further, resting my back against the cool counter top, pulling him down with me. The angle changed and I pulled away from his lips just so I could call out an unintelligible encouragement.

"Sookie?" The voice rang through me like cold water and I stopped all my motions. Eric stopped too although he didn't pull away.

"Yes?" I called out tentatively, cringing when I heard the breathy quality of my voice. I was having a conversation with my brother. A blush spread across my cheeks at the realisation of the position I was in.

"Are you okay in there?" The doorknob actually jingled as he tried it; my brother was seriously worried about me. How much noise had we really made? My eyes were wide; I'd told Eric to lock the door, at least I thought I could remember doing so but I couldn't remember if he actually had. Luckily, the door held.

"I'm fine. Just taking a shower. I knocked some stuff over, sorry!" Eric started kissing my neck again, nipping at my skin while his hands teased my breasts. "Fuck," I muttered quietly while trying to push his hands away.

"Okay." Jason did not sound convinced at all. "You sure?" Eric chose that moment to move, teasing me.

"Yep. Thanks. Night Jason!" I called out. A couple of seconds later I heard his footsteps retreating and the creak of floorboards as he made his way upstairs.

"Now, where were we?" Eric asked playfully as he pulled me up into a sitting position before he stood up, taking me with him.

"Shower," I told him and then proceeded to nip his earlobe. A second later the hot spray was washing down over my head, making my skin slick. My entire field of vision was taken up by Eric's beautiful face and I didn't have it in me to think about anything else. I just gave myself over to him; at least until morning.

* * *

**So what did you think? Where do you reckon Eric was? You know i love feedback almost as much as i love a certain viking vampire :) I heard the latest TB episode is brilliant, but i haven't been able to watch it yet, not had internet access for long enough. Gah. **

**Well, until next week, have a good one!  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampire Mysteries, that belongs to the wonderful Charlaine Harris. **

There was something hard underneath me. I couldn't tell what it was, the only thing I knew for certain was that it wasn't the wonderful comfort of a bed or the plumpness of the sofa. I didn't need to open my eyes to know that it was still dark out and everything around me was silent; the birds hadn't even started singing yet. I began to move so that I could roll over, bury my face in whatever I was using as a pillow so that I could will reality back into oblivion for a couple of hours, yet as I shifted my weight I realised I was ridiculously comfortable; I didn't want to move.

Strong around were wrapped around my waist, holding me snugly in place while soft fleece against my back told me that I was wrapped in a blanket. I let out a contented sigh as I remembered exactly how I had to come to fall asleep where I was which was lying on top of my man on the sofa. My head was resting just underneath his chin on his chest, one arm hooked up around his neck, the other folded in a sort of pillow. My legs were on the actual sofa though, not resting on his. Eric was completely still beneath me and when I snuck a peak up at him, just moving my eyes, I found his eyes to be closed lightly.

I sighed again then shuffled slightly, as though I could snuggle into him more if I tried. Instantly his eyes opened, looking down at me and a smile crossed his face.

"Good morning lover," he whispered before placing a kiss on my forehead. It made my insides melt.

"What time is it?" I mumbled. The last remnants of sleep, and I definitely hadn't had enough, washed from my mind as I realised I wasn't just lying on top of my boyfriend, I was lying on top of my almost naked boyfriend. His chest was wonderfully bare beneath my arms, his cool skin now making my own warm flesh tingle and I could feel our tangled legs touching without any clothing barring us. Honestly I didn't know that he wasn't naked, I just hoped he was wearing boxers or something. Well, it would be boxer briefs as that was the only thing I'd seen him wearing before now.

"We have forty five minutes before I have to leave." I didn't bother saying anything about how he hadn't really answered my question; he'd told me the information I actually wanted to know.

"We still need to talk you know," I whispered. There was something about the still, quiet room covered in darkness that called for soft voices. I was still lying on top of him so he couldn't run. It may or may not have been intentional. He didn't respond for several seconds so I took his silence for acquiescence. "I'm still not happy about the whole 'mine' thing."

"I know." I huffed at that, I could feel my anger beginning to rise within me, all remnants of sleep long gone. Shuffling I managed to turn slightly so that I was on my stomach, my face mere inches from his. "I think we will have to agree to disagree. I am not going to stop calling you mine. I offer you my protection. It is an odd thing, you turning down the safety I offer." His eyes seemed to implore me to understand because he simply didn't have the words to tell me what he truly meant.

"Fine," I whispered. I hoped it would be something I would be able to accept or at least come close to soon. "But you have to know I don't like it. It's a very vampire-y thing to do." He actually laughed at that.

"Yes my lover, it really is. If it makes you feel any better, it will only be supes, vampires in particular that will understand the full meaning. Other supes, most shifters, will know that I give you my protection as well."

"Okay." I placed a small peck of his kiss on his chest.

"Besides, you do not seem to mind me calling you 'my lover'." Shit, well he had me there.

"Yes, but that's different." He quirked an eyebrow at me. "It just is. And yes, I actually kind of like that, in private," I tagged on as a caution; I didn't want to be at work at some point when Eric came in, referring to me as his lover. That probably wouldn't go down very well.

"So where are you spending your day?"

"I am going back to Shreveport, flying." He added when he saw the question on my face. I didn't have to hear his quiet chuckle, which honestly I felt rumbling through his chest more than heard, that my face had taken on an expression of awe. "I will take you with me sometime lover, when we have time and when things are safer."

"When am I going to be able to go back to my own home?" Jason's house was comfy enough and technically it was my house too as I'd spent several years here when I was a youngster and my parents had left the house to both of us in their will. Of course, Gran had left my house just to me so I'd told Jason this place was just his. The only thing left to do was get it legalised in a contract.

"Soon. I miss your house too." His eyes twinkled and the way he seemed to leer at me told me he was thinking bag things that would feel so good.

"Down mister!" I giggled, swatting his chest with my hand.

"I called a meeting with the Packmaster for Thursday night to decide what shall be done. It is a Shreveport issue, not just vampires. It is not even that much of a vampire problem; the dogs should deal with it. But I do love a good fight." The corners of his mouth began to twitch until a second later he gave up and let the full grin take over. "I did not get a chance the other night." His eyes turned darker seemingly as he remembered how he'd had to run away, although only so he could get us to safety. I knew it wasn't his style but I thought he would have taken it better than this considering he knew it had been his job.

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to kick some butt."

"Oh I will." His eyes literally gleamed yet he seemed far-away in his thoughts, probably of snapping bones and feeding from arteries. I tried not to think about it too much.

"So two more nights." Today was Wednesday, albeit ridiculously early in the morning.

"Yes. We should be able to plan something Thursday night. I have some ideas already."

"Let me guess, you're not going to share them with me."

"Not yet. Now then lover, I must be going." Then in a motion so swift I didn't see it let alone know how I ended up sitting perfectly on the sofa, he stood up. So much for lying on top of him so that he wouldn't be able to run. "Stay safe and I will be in touch tonight." With that he bent down and placed a lingering kiss, complete with his hands roaming through my hair. He left me wanting more but he'd already gone by the time I opened my eyes.

**Chapter 14**

Too few hours later I awoke to the delicious scent of coffee permeating the air and a soft whistling sound coming from the kitchen. In the first few seconds after waking, when sleep clogs up the brain, my mental defences are nonexistent, leaving me at the mercy of my telepathy. It was Jason in the kitchen, bopping and whistling along to a song stuck in his head as he made a gigantic breakfast for himself. It was ridiculous how much he could eat without packing on even a pound, except perhaps in muscle, although he did spend a hell of a lot of time in his home gum in the basement. That i definitely didn't envy; I would much prefer to watch what i ate and go dancing, perhaps throwing in a weekly jog or run than be a slave to the gym.

Stretching out the aches from my tired muscles I padded into the kitchen.

"Hey sis, want some?" Jason pointed to the plate of sausages in the middle of the table, this was in addition to the full plate already sitting in front of him, that would easily have fed a small family.

"No thanks, coffee and toast for me."

"So, what were you up to last night?" When I glanced around to him from the still steaming coffee pot his eyebrows began to wiggle.

"Nothing, just a shower. I knocked a couple of things off the side cabinet is all." Thankfully my usual blush didn't colour my cheeks.

"Yeah, right, that," he cocked his head in the direction of the bathroom, and even brandished his fork, complete with a piece of meat skewered on the end. "Was an accident." I hate to admit it but curiosity got the better of me and I went to investigate the bathroom.

"Holy shit!" Bottles, containers, towels and event he shower curtain lay strewn across the floor. Our used towels were lazily dropped over the side of the tub instead of in the hamper which had narrowly avoided falling over itself. It was lying a dangerous angle, the top had actually fallen off into the bath, which it was propped up by the wall.

"So, who was the lucky guy?" Jason asked, standing in the doorway. He even had his plate and fork in hand. How he could eat while discussing his little sister's sex life I'll never know. "Oh, come on, you know all about me, turn around is fair play," he responded to my gaping expression. "Who is it? Someone I know?"

I missed old Jason, who refused to believe I'd slept with anyone. I guess he'd had to get used to the idea or something. An involuntary shudder ran through me. I'd had much longer to get used to hearing about his exploits and it still wasn't even anywhere near bearable to hear.

"Don't tell me it's Sam! Not again. You two are way better off as friends." That was rich, coming from the man that would bed anything alive in a skirt and the alive thing was only preferably; oh yes, he'd tried vampires a few times. There was actually a rumour a couple of years back of an unfortunate incident about a girl called Amanda who happened to have rather large hands to match something else that was rather large. That particular rumour I had never investigated, thinking that it would be best for my sanity if I never knew the truth as it was much easier to ignore rumours.

"No, it wasn't Sam. He's hurt and sleeping upstairs," I replied, putting as much indignation into my voice as I could muster.

"Fine. A fanger then? Ooh, it was!"

"Urgh."

"Wait, did you invite a fanger into my house?" Ah, now here was the brother I knew and loved.

"Yes, two actually." His face paled while the fork clattered unnoticed to his plate. "Jason, you know this. It's fine." So, it was with that I retold him a short, highly edited version of the past few days.

"So, do I know this vampire?" He didn't ask any questions about the danger we were all in, although I had seriously downplayed it, instead he jumped straight back into the stuff her could handle.

"Fine. Yes, you do." I didn't need to be telepathic to know that he was thinking hard, i could almost see the cogs turning inside his pretty little head.

"Who?" I can't think of any I know you'd be interested in."

"Eric." There was absolutely nothing on his face that registered recognition of the name. "He owns Fangtasia. He came into Merlotte's a couple of weeks back to see me. Erm; tall, blond, muscles, long hair, looks like a model, but built like a true Viking."

"Oh yeah, all the ladies loved him." Wonderful.

"Yeah, that'd be him." It was best not to think about what he was saying too much.

"Right, well this is great, plenty of ammunition for you now." Great, merciless teasing at the hands of my brother. "But, I gotta run. I'm working with the road crew today. Csya and love you." Just like that he gave me a quick peck on the cheek, handed me his plate and was out the door before I realised I was standing alone in the wrecked bathroom with a mostly eaten cooked breakfast in my hands. Of course that was exactly how Sam found me.

"You okay?" He asked with a tentative smile, gesturing towards what I was holding.

"Oh, yeah. Jason." I was grateful that Sam know my brother well enough that he didn't ask for any further explanation. "Don't ask," I added, waving an arm at the chaos around me.

"Wasn't gunna," Sam replied with a chuckle as he began to make his way to the kitchen. It didn't escape my notice that he was walking much more smoothly this morning, without having to clutch his side.

"So, what are you going to do with the rest of the day?" We'd finished breakfast, both opting for toast, and had progressed onto a game of scrabble after I'd cleaned the bathroom. I hadn't told Sam anything about what had happened yet he still gave me a knowing luck as soon as I sat down at the kitchen table. Damn shifter senses, they were almost as good as vampire senses. We were currently on our third match, each having won one of the previous games and the time was hurtling along toward lunch.

"I'm not, well we're not, supposed to go outside so not much. I had to call Diane to take over my shift. I just gotta hope my boss doesn't mind too much."

"He doesn't mind at all. I'd much prefer you keep me company anyway." He paused to put 'twins' down on the board, using a double word score but also opening up the triple word score for me. He was going down. "Eric's right, don't worry, it pains me to say. It is probably dangerous out there, we don't want to risk anything. I'm sure he has a plan too."

I nodded, confirming his suspicion and put my tiles down on the board. 'Scabbard' earned me fifteen points on its own, which I could multiply by three and add my bonus fifty points giving me a total of ninety five. Oh yeah, I had won the round all right, Sam had been trailing slightly since the fourth turn, he was eating my dust now.

"Damn it! Okay, I give up." He laughed as he upturned his little plastic tray that held his tiles. "You're too good for your own good. When did you get so smart?" His words were meant in fun and that's exactly how I took them.

"Word of the day calendars since as far back as I can remember." The phone began to ring. "It does wonders for your vocabulary."

"I think I know what I want for Christmas!" I shook my head at him as I padded into the hallway where Jason kept his cordless phone docked. Christmas was still months away but hopefully I would be able to remember it would work as a functional gag gift. Of course I would also get him something else as well.

"Hello, Jason's place." It always felt awkward answering someone else's phone because I was never entirely sure what to say.

"We know where you are." That was all that was said. The phone dropped through my fingers to land on the floor with a clatter yet not until after I'd heard the lone menacing growl of one of them in animal form followed swiftly be the piercing beep of them hanging up.

"Shit." I whispered.

"Sook, you okay?" Sam appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, confusion etched across his features. "What was all that noise..." His voice trailed off as his eyes landed on the phone lying broken on the hardwood floor. "What's happened?" His tone instantly had a harsher edge to it and his face almost seemed to harden as he mentally prepared himself.

"That was them," I found myself saying while my mind was already beginning to formulate a plan. "They know where we are. We need to go." Here, in Jason's house more secluded than my own, we stood no change against them; one telepathic waitress and an injured shapeshifter. It was time to run again because this time there would be no vampire to help as they would all be essentially dead for at least another six hours.

I ran from the hallway to the kitchen, grabbed a carrier bag from yesterday's grocery store visit and began to chuck food in. It didn't matter what went in the bag as long as it was something edible. After that it was water bottles from the refrigerator, the blanket from the couch and finally the shotgun that Jason kept locked up in the under stairs cupboard. When I'd put my trainers on and grabbed the keys to the truck, Sam was already waiting by the door, a determined glint in his eye. We didn't need to bother with words to exchange what we were going to do.

"They're out there," he muttered, jerking his head toward the door.

"Yes, but not close enough and they won't know what we're going to do." I loaded the gun then, putting four extra cartridges in my jeans pocket and threw the box into the bag. "Ready?"

"Yep."

With that Sam yanked open the door and I sprinted outside. As soon as my foot landed on the wood planks of the porch I hit the electronic tag on the truck key, unlocking the doors. I took the porch steps in one leap, landing on the ground with a small skid across the gravel that jarred my knees. The pain was inconsequential. On I ran, the gun now help up in the general direction my telepathy was telling me the closest creature was. I reached the front of the truck and ran around toward the driver's side, gravel crunching beneath my feet. I got my first look at Sam. He was running as fast as he could, red faced and one arm clutching his side desperately. Behind him, from the bushes that lined the wide driveway sprang a snarling _thing_. Even calling it a creature would have been too kind. It was all gnashing yellow teeth dripping saliva and talons on out stretched paws.

"Down!" I roared even as I brought the gun up to aim properly. Sam didn't even think. Mid stride he altered his path, throwing his body toward the ground. The instant he was clean the finger I already had curled around the trigger tensed, releasing the shot. I felt the familiar vibration shook through me the same time that I saw the thing in front of me get torn to pieces. The shot caught its lower jaw, literally tearing it off as blood and thicker chunks flew off in every direction. The shot carried on true, toward the things chest due to its leaping bound. It struck just to the left of the creature's sternum. A heart shot. It was dead before it reached the ground.

No time was wasted. Knowing that it wasn't going to get up was relieving yet there was still a dozen more of them closing in fast. I flung open the truck door and vaulted in, throwing the bag into the cab behind me as I did. The next instant the passenger door opened as Sam crawled in, yanking the door shut behind him the instant he was clear.

The key found its home in the ignition and the engine, thankfully, roared to life as soon as the key turned. I hit the gas, causing the tyres to skid and squad for a heart stopping moment before the trucked lurched forward. Sam hit the door lock button on the dashboard and we were hurtling down the drive. My rear view mirror was just a writhing mass of furry bodies giving chase.

"Incoming, your side." I didn't think about my actions, didn't even check my side mirror, I just wrenched the steering wheel to the left. A thump resounded over the screaming engine followed swiftly by a howl of agony. The truck didn't even seem to slow slightly, instead it just ploughed onwards.

We reached the end of the long curving drive in seconds. Neither of us looked as we turned onto the main road, we couldn't afford to slow down. The tyres found better grip on the tarmac, sending us lurching forward once more. The gas pedal was pushed all the way to the floor. The speed dial continued to climb, growing swiftly past the limit for the road.

"They're dropping behind," I whispered in relief. Their brain patterns, although unintelligible, in creature form, were growing further away, less opposing on my mind. The pedal remained on the floor. A quick glance to the right revealed Sam leaning forward in his seat, staring intently into his side mirror.

"They're gone," he told me, no relief yet evident in his voice. It was another three miles before I even began to slow down.

We ended up in Shreveport with no idea how we'd actually got there; we definitely hadn't intended upon it. My plan had stretched no further than get to the truck and get the hell out of there. When we passed the sign welcoming us to the city my first instinct was to head toward Fangtasia, in fast it wasn't until after I'd turned onto Industrial Drive that I realised the stupidity of that idea.

"No vamps," I muttered, more to myself than anything, annoyed that I was starting to shut down. If I didn't maintain a death grip on the steering wheel my hands quaked, terribly, and it was only a matter of time until it progressed to the rest of my body.

"Take the next right," Sam told me. I could feel his eyes on me without looking, he was staring that intently. I manoeuvred the car into the correct lane, ready to turn where indicated. It was odd, only being one street over from where I knew and being completely confused. I blindly followed the instructions until we were parked in a sprawling parking lot on the west side of the city. The lot was next to a large shopping mall, busy with people coming and going, laden down with carrier bags. Sam didn't say anything, he didn't need to. All he did was open his arms wide and I fell into them, tears already spilling down my cheeks. His strong arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling me into his body. He still didn't speak, choosing instead to just hold me, pressing kisses onto my forehead. Hot tears ran over my flaming tears as I clung desperately to my friend. There were no sobs as the tears were from shock, as my mind hadn't taken the time to process what was happening. It had just helped me get the hell out of there. Slowly my tears dried up until, eventually, we were just sitting there, holding each other.

"I'm sorry," I half whimpered after awhile. By this point I was essentially sitting in his lap, we were curled up that close. Our torsos were moulded together while our arms were in a tangle. I shuddered to think what the somewhat awkward position would be doing to his tender ribs, especially after our flight this morning.

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You got us here safely." Another gentle kiss was pressed onto my hair.

"Oh, I know." I began to giggle slightly as I pulled back so I could sit straight. "I just meant your ribs; they must be hurting and it can't help with me laying on them."

"Oh." A hint of a blush crept across his already ruddy cheeks. "I thought you meant." Wisely he snapped his mouth shut and didn't utter another word about it. It would be stupid of me to apologise over crying; shock had kicked in, it really had been terrifying and Sam had seen me in worse states. If I ended up breaking down in tears again late, that's when I would apologise.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm actually starving." As if on cue his stomach began growling, sending us both into fits of giggles. Focusing on anything else apart from why we were sitting in the middle of a random parking lot could only be good. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's see what was brought."

Upon retrieving the carrier, the contents of which had remarkably stayed put, we began to search for a make shift lunch.

"So, how's Amelia?" Sam asked around a mouthful of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"She was doing good the last time I spoke to her, she's got a new guy of course."

"Of course she has."

"In fact, I'm well overdue for updating her actually. Much longer and she'll probably turn up on my doorstep ready to bitch me out about not being in contact."

Calling Amelia was most definitely not something to do while being trapped in the confines of the truck with Sam; Amelia would want to discuss things that Sam really didn't need to hear. Of course we weren't really trapped in the truck, however it felt safer than being outside, even if it was in a crowded area like the shopping mall. This way we could move at even the first hint of danger and both of us had our special senses on alert.

"What about you? Any girls caught your eye?"

"There might be one or two."

"Or three with the look you've got on your face right now!"

That was how we passed the afternoon, mostly talking and sometimes giggling about pretty trivial things. In fact the most important thing I did was to call Jason, telling him not to go back to his house if at all possible. Of course he'd already had plans with one of his lady friends straight after work and would be spending the night with her.

Just as the sky was beginning to darken we eased out of the emptying parking lot in search of somewhere else to wait.

"Fangtasia? What time do the vamps get there?" I was already heading in that general direction although the club wasn't my intended destination.

"Just after first dark someone will get there but there's no guarantee it will be Eric or Pam. If it isn't, chances are it won't be good."

"Where else then?"

"I'm hopefully going to take us to Eric's apartment. If I can remember where the damn thing is in this stupid city?"

"Well I can't help you there." We were heading west toward the suburbs. At least I was positive it was the right direction for the area.

"Just hope I get use there before he leaves or we get a hold of him on his cell. Here." I fished my cell phone out of my jeans pocket so that I could hand it over. "Keep trying him. He should wake up early so you never know."

Eventually after about fifteen turns that made it a very convoluted route and essentially constant redialling on Sam's part, we made it to the underground parking lot of Eric's apartment building. The security guard was thankfully absent. Later I found out that Eric actually owned the entire building and therefore employed all of the staff. When he found out about the absent security he had the man fired. After pleading from me, I discovered had been on street level to call his sick son, that Eric reinstated him as a daytime cleaner at Fangtasia. At least it was better than northing and the man hadn't been doing his job correctly, no matter how valid the reason.

"Which apartment is it?" Sam actually appeared ready to jump out of the car and just go knock on the door.

"The penthouse."

"I should have known." He shook his head but winced a second later when he put a little bit too much vigour into the motion.

"We can't get up there, too much security. Pass me the phone please." He placed the phone swiftly into my outstretched hand and then settled back into his seat, ready for more waiting. "Pick up, pick up, pick up." I muttered, retreating the phrase like a mantra. Sam wasn't paying me the least bit of attention anymore; he'd been getting the exact same response from my phone for a half hour, he wasn't exactly expecting anything new. The first three times I dialled there was no response, the phone rang until it reached voicemail. The fourth time however, I struck gold.

"Wait here," I told Sam as I opened the truck door for the first time in hours. It felt incredibly good to stand, to stretch out my cramped muscles. I chose to ignore Sam's question, whatever it was I felt sure he would get his answer soon enough, because coming flying down the stairs was my vampire. I could feel the blank spot inside my head of a vampires mind travelling impossibly fast down the stairwell.

"What?" A deep, rough voice barked and it took me a second to realise it was Eric's voice over the phone. It definitely wasn't the greeting I'd expected.

"Hi," I replied tentatively as the door for the stairwell in the garage was flung open so hard it bounced on the wall. The open door revealed a frazzled Eric, well as frazzled as he could, actually look. He was back to an almost human speed so I could take in his appearance. Tousled blond hair that might not have been brushed and clothing that didn't exactly look to be in his usual impeccable state.

"Sookie," he breathed out, his voice instantly softer as though relief was flooding through him. I actually saw a little of the tension leave his shoulders. He was still speaking into the phone however not a second later he whirled to face me. I hadn't had a chance to response. What alerted him to my presence I never actually remembered to ask. The next thing I knew I was enveloped into an embrace.

"Eric." My arms slipped around his waist while I snuggled in against his chest, taking in a deep breath of his scent. Cocooned in his arms I was safe. He was the big bad, the thing that went bump in the night and he was on my side.

"Are you hurt?" He spoke directly into my ear with his nose buried in my hair. His voice was scarcely more than a murmur.

"No, I'm fine." I gave his waist an extra squeeze to emphasise my point.

"You were so scared, you woke me up. The adrenaline. What happened?" He pulled back, with what felt like reluctance once he'd finished speaking. His eyes roamed over me, taking in every little detail; checking for himself that I wasn't hurt.

"The things came after us again. We got away. Sam's in the truck." I actually indicated the truck parked a few metres away. "Where were you going?"

"To you. I woke up properly at full dark and came rushing down. I assumed it was for my car then I realised I no longer felt the need to run. You were already here." I had no words to respond, so instead I stood upon my toes and kissed him with my arms wrapped around his neck. He kissed me back fervently, pulling me in tighter against his long body. A throat clearing behind us, that I scarcely heard, was what finally made me pull back.

"Sorry to interrupt." The sly glance he shot me told me my friend really wasn't. "Do you mind if we go up?" Eric tore his eyes away from me to give Sam the once over. Eventually he nodded his approval.

"Tell me what happened." It was a rather odd elevator ride. Sam and me telling the story of what had happened while Eric listened intently yet his hands never stopped touching me, ghosting up and down my arms. We finished the story in the living room. I was sat in the chair while Sam relaxed on the sofa while Eric paced.

"They should not have come after you like this. It is too bold a move." With that he pulled out his top of the range cell phone and dialled, not bothering to give any information. I didn't even get any answers when he began speaking because he just had to go and use another language.

Sighing I eased off the sofa and made my way into the sparse kitchen. Eric's drink was easy to find, the bottled blood took up nearly all the refrigerator space. He may not enjoy drinking it, saying that it would bore you into the true death, but he was practical enough to know to drink it. Quickly I pushed those thoughts down, I didn't want to think of him getting blood from anyone else.

Ten minutes later, having successfully rummaged through the cupboards for some cocoa powder I went back into the living room where Eric was having a heated discussion on the phone. At least he was now speaking in English.

"Who's he talking to?" I asked as I handed a steaming mug over to Sam and then took a seat next to him on the sofa. Eric's bottle was placed on the table in front of us.

"He hasn't said a name but from what I can gather, it's the Packmaster."

Suddenly Eric finished his phone call, threw his cell phone harshly to the coffee table and turned to face us. His eyes were alight, the blue almost seeming to dance as they sparked with life. It was anger that had fuelled the fire, and even though nothing had really changed in his expression, there was slightly wild quality about him.

"The meeting cannot be moved up to tonight. The Weres refuse to meet tonight, saying they cannot get the correct security in place." The growl rumbling through his chest told me the Weres were, on some level, right to want security around when meeting with him.

**Important!**

**As you have all probably gathered, this story is on hiatus. I do plan to finish it, I have all of my old notes but Angels will get finished first. I am sorry to everyone that is following this and has been waiting since I first stopped writing for awhile. Please continue to stick by me. **

**LF91**


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